


Coming To Your Senses

by Skara_Brae



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Case Fic, M/M, Sentinel/Guide, Sentinel/Guide Bonding, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-07-04
Packaged: 2018-01-19 09:20:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 31,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1464040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skara_Brae/pseuds/Skara_Brae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sentinel/Guide Fusion</p><p>Mike is a Sentinel who just wants to finish school and get a job. Harvey is a Guide who just wants to close his newest client. But soon after they meet and are drawn together, they are swept up into new case involving blackmail, sex, and the intricacies of Sentinel-Guide bonding, and are forced to challenge their long held assumptions about themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I apparently really love writing Bonding fic for this Fandom. The good news is this story is mostly written (I just need to edit and do some smoothing), so I can promise regular weekly updates. It should run about 16 chapters. =)

Mike pulled up to the building and hopped off his bike. The doorman gave him a smile and held the door for him. He nodded and hurried to leave his bike in the designated area.

“I’ll take that for you, Mr. Ross.” The doorman rushed forward to take the bike from him.

“Thanks, Peter. I appreciate it.” Peter always rushed to aid any guests of one of the building’s best tippers.

Mike headed over to the elevator and waited patiently for the car to arrive. He checked his watch. He was actually early, for once.

The elevator dinged as he arrived. He headed down the hallway and knocked on the door. “It’s open,” a voice called from the inside. Mike let himself and headed to the kitchen.

“Something smells good,” he said, taking a seat at one of the barstools.

“It’s chicken marsala,” Trevor answered. He was stirring something creamy-looking in a saucepan on the stove while pasta boiled on the burner next to it. “Ready in a few. Want a beer?”

“Sure.”

Trevor plucked one of out the fridge with practiced ease and set it in front of him. “You’re actually early.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “What can I say? New York traffic was light today. Where’s your other half?”

“Still at work. Said not to wait.”

Mike’s phone beeped and he grabbed his messenger bag off the back of the chair. In his attempt to get at his phone, he wound up dumping half of his bag over the counter.

It was a text from school. His seminar had been rescheduled for this week. “Great,” he muttered. He looked up to find Trevor had picked up one of the pieces of paper that had fallen out of his bag.

“You know, it’s illegal to read other people’s mail.”

“It was in plain view in my own residence,” Trevor shot back.

“Oooh, fucking a lawyer really has rubbed off on you.”

“Shut up.” Trevor held up the card. “So, you going to this?”

Mike reached out and snatched it from him. “No,” he said flatly.

“Why not? A social mixer at the Tower is a big deal.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’ll fit in perfectly there with all those big wigs. After all, I am such a hot commodity.”

“What do you mean? You’re an unbonded Sentinel. From what I hear--”

“Come on, Trevor. What am I going to say? ‘Hi, I’m Mike. I’m a bike messenger who’s still three credits shy of his Bachelor’s.’ I am sure that’s going to be real attractive to those social climbers.”

Trevor’s brow furrowed. “How are you still three credits shy? I thought you were done after last semester.”

Mike sighed. He didn’t want to talk about this now. It still rankled him that Trevor, of all people, had managed to get his degree before Mike. Oh course, he had been able to go back full time, unlike Mike, who had to juggle his job and his rent payments. As he inhaled deeply, his enhanced senses picked something up. “Your sauce is about to burn.”

Trevor swore and turned back to the stove. He stirred the saucepan and lowered the heat on the burner before turning back to Mike. “Don’t try to distract me.” He gestured playfully with the spoon.

Mike took a swig of his beer. “From burning dinner?”

“I just think it would be good for you. You know, get out, meet new people.”

Mike snorted. “You getting sick of me hanging around? ‘Cause you’re the one who keeps inviting me over.”

Trevor sighed. “You know it’s not that. I just think you’re--”

“Pathetic?”

“ _Lonely_ , Mike. And Jenny thinks so too.”

“Oh my god, when were you talking to my ex-girlfriend?”

“Saturday night. I was working at O’Grady’s, and she came in with some friends.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “And you decided to talk about my love life. Why are you still bartending anyway? Your allowance get taken away?”

“Fuck you, Mike.” The words were said completely without heat. “I was covering a shift for a friend. Anyway, you’re trying too hard to change the subject. I just want you to be happy, Mike. You’ve always been a better friend to me than I was to you.”

Mike tossed the invitation down on the counter. “This isn’t going to make me happy. Finally finishing my fucking degree and getting a real job will make me happy. You just feel that way because you’re bonded.”

Trevor smiled. “Well, it did change my life. I was so angry and bitter back then. If I hadn’t met Jim, I’d probably be in prison.”

“Oh, don’t kid yourself. You’d definitely be in prison,” a voice sang out from the living room. Mike and Trevor both turned as Jim Greene came into the room. He was dressed as usual in a tailored suit, but he had already tugged his tie loose.

“Hey.” Trevor gave Jim a grin. “I thought you were going to be late. Hard day fighting crime?”

“As usual. Hi Mike,” Jim said to Mike as he kissed Trevor on the temple.

“Hey, Jim.”

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Trevor said.

“Great, just let me change.” He set a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag on the counter. “You guys can open that.”

Trevor turned back to the stove and Jim disappeared into their bedroom. They had been together for almost three years, and Mike still marveled at the differences between them. Jim was an old-money blue blood, a level three Sentinel, a lawyer, and he worked for the FBI in their white collar crime unit. Not someone Mike ever would have pictured with his (formerly) drug-dealing, cheating friend.

Trevor had never taken his role as a Guide seriously. He hadn’t even taken any Guiding courses, outside of the compulsory training they were all required to take in high school. He had always been able to pull Mike out of his rare zones, but that was attributed to their close friendship as opposed to any special talent.

But once Jim and Trevor had met, and well, the connection had been explosive. And despite their differences, somehow, it worked for them. Jim was happy, Trevor was happy. Mike had watched his best friend be swept up into a completely different world. He had gone back to school, got his degree, and now had a bona fide white collar job, working in the IT department for Jim’s division of the FBI. He now accompanied Jim to charity events and trips to the Vineyard and Newport, RI.

Not that it had been awful for Mike. Jim quickly proved to be a good friend to him as well. He had convinced Mike to go back to school, and even managed to get his academic record expunged. He had also arranged for Grammy to get into a good care home on some kind of grant. No, Mike had no complaints.

Soon, the wine was poured and they were all seated around the dining room table, enjoying Trevor’s excellent chicken marsala. Mike was hoping the whole pre-dinner conversation had been forgotten, but then Trevor announced to Jim, “Mike got an invite to a mixer at the Tower.”

“Really?” Jim grinned. “I went to a few of those back in the day.”

“I bet you scored all the time.” Trevor rolled his eyes.

“I did okay.” Jim reached across the table and squeezed Trevor’s hand. “The food was always good. And they always have an open bar.”

Mike looked up from his plate. “Open bar?”

“Oh yeah. The drinks flowed pretty freely at those things. Social lubricant and all that.”

Trevor looked at Mike. “See, at least you would get to drink for free.”

“I’m not going.”

“Come on. It’s only one night. What’s the worst that could happ--”

“Trevor, there is nothing you can say. I’m not going.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Harvey Specter sipped his drink and looked out over the crowd of people mingling. He couldn’t believe that Jessica had actually talked him into this. He was spending his Friday night at a Tower mixer, of all places. Normally he didn’t want to have anything to do with this place, his erstwhile status as a Guide, notwithstanding. But Jessica was determined to have Aaron Souvakai for a client, and Souvakai was equally determined to find himself a bond partner.

He watched Souvakai prowl around the room, being trailed by an increasing number of women. He rolled his eyes.

Heading back to the bar, he noticed a young man leaning against it. Blond, too scrawny, he was wearing jeans, a forest green shirt and oh my god, was that a skinny tie? Hideous. His name badge identified him as a Sentinel. Harvey straightened the cuffs of his jacket and ordered another scotch.

Hipster Sentinel’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his back pocket. “What? …Yes, I’m there… Okay, _Mom.._. Yeah, I’ll see you on Sunday. Okay, bye.” Shaking his head, he tucked his phone away.

“Your mom checking up on you?” Harvey couldn’t resist asking.

“What?” The kid’s head shot up. “Oh, no. Just my friend.”

“Do you generally need checking up on?”

“No, he’s just…” The kid shook his head. “He’s one of those happily bonded types, who now thinks everyone should be bonded as well.”

“I know the type.” Harvey turned back to scan the room. Souvakai now appeared to be in rapt conversation with a man on the balcony.

The kid was going on. “He was the one that talked me into this tonight. I didn’t really want to come.”

Harvey snorted and sipped his drink. “Well, that makes two of us.”

The kid’s mouth quirked slightly. “So you’re not here looking for true love?”

“I am here on business. My firm is trying to woo a new client.” Harvey nodded discreetly towards the man across the room.

The kid looked across the room and whistled lowly. “Aaron Souvakai. That’s a pretty big fish.”

“You know him?”

“There was an article about him in the _New York World_ six months ago. Most successful venture capitalist the city’s had in years.”

Harvey smiled. “Yes, and since his divorce from his third wife, he’s become a bit obsessed with finding a bondmate. So he prowls around these things looking for available Sentinels.” It occurred to Harvey belatedly that he probably shouldn’t be sharing this information with a near stranger.

The kid took a sip of his beer. “And you, what? Want to be right here to draw up his pre-bonding contract for him?

Harvey laughed. “Not quite.” This kid was something. “Harvey Specter.” He extended his hand.

“Mike Ross.” They shook hands. “So,” Mike glanced back at Souvakai, “How are you going to talk to him? Spill your drink on him or something?”

“I don’t get my business acumen from screwball comedies. We already met with him two days ago and gave him the pitch for our representation.”

“So why are you stalking him at a Tower mixer?”

Harvey rolled his eyes. “I’m not stalking him. My presence here is merely to serve as a reminder that I am also a Guide like him. Commonality will help win him over.”

“Pretty confident, aren’t you?” Harvey couldn’t help noticing the kid’s eyes were ridiculously blue.

“I’m the best closer in the city. I can close him.”

“Well, Harvey, I hope you’re right, because it looks like he’s headed this way.”

Harvey looked up. Souvakai was headed to the bar, having shaken off the crowd of eager companions. He glanced over at them.

“Harvey, this is unexpected.”

“Aaron, very nice to see you.” They shook hands.

Souvakai turned to Mike. “Aaron Souvakai.”

Mike grinned and shook his hand. “Mike Ross.”

“And do you work with Harvey?” Souvakai asked Mike.

“Me?” Mike smiled brightly. “I’m a bike messenger. And a part time student.”

“Ah.” Souvakai turned back to Harvey. “I hope you’re not expecting me to talk business tonight.”

“Not at all. I am here for the same reason you are.” He shot a side glance at Mike, hoping the kid would play along. “Just some friendly conversation.”

“We were just talking about food.” Mike volunteered. “Harvey and I were just debating the best place for sushi in the city. I say Nobu, but Harvey disagrees.”

“Nobu would be great if it were 2002.” Harvey picked up the thread Mike laid down immediately. “Seriously, you need to try Gari 46.”

“Maybe you can help us decide, Mr. Souvakai.” Mike turned his too-blue eyes towards the other man.

Souvakai grinned, and leapt to Mike’s defense. “Now, now, Harvey. Nobu still has perfectly cromulent sushi. But it’s certainly not the best in the city. Gari 46 is also good, but if you really want my opinion…”

They did, and Souvakai began to expound at length the best of New York City sushi restaurants. The conversation then drifted to European travel, city politics, and finally the venture capital business. Finally, Souvakai glanced at his watch. “Well, time has flown. I am afraid I must be going.”

“It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Souvakai,” Mike said sincerely.

“Call me Aaron, son.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his card. He handed it to Mike. “Give me a call sometime, and I can show you want real sushi is.” He winked.

“Oh, thanks.” Mike grinned bashfully as he took the card.

“Harvey, come see me on Monday and we’ll talk about my future legal representation.”

“Will do, Aaron.”

He strode off, and Harvey looked at Mike. They held it together for about sixty seconds after Souvakai walked out the door before they both broke out in quiet laughter.

“So,” Harvey glanced at the card. “You going to call him?”

“I don’t know,” Mike considered, turning the card over in his hand. “Could I go out with a man who uses the word ‘cromulent’ without a hint of irony? Probably not.”

Harvey was having trouble resisting the urge to take the card out of Mike’s hand and rip it up. Which was ridiculous. He shouldn’t care if this Sentinel did want to be wined and dined by his client. Not at all. Still, this kid was intriguing. And he was certainly bound to be better conversation that anyone else here. “How about you let me buy you a real drink?” They could go somewhere else, where hungry eyes weren’t following their every move.

Mike looked surprised. “Okay.”

*^*

Ten minutes later they were in the upscale bar in the hotel across the street.

“So how did you know he was such a sushi fanatic?” Harvey asked.

“The article in the _New York World_ mentioned it. ‘Mr. Souvakai is a passionate connoisseur of Japanese cuisine, and has stated it is his mission to try every sushi restaurant in the five boroughs.’”

Harvey raised his eyebrows. “That sounds like a direct quote.”

“It is.”

“You remember the exact wording of a magazine article you read six months ago?”

Mike swallowed the last of his beer. “I also remember it was on page 53. Right next to an ad for some pretentious new club called Iso.” He looked up and met Harvey’s eyes. “I remember everything.”

“Eidetic memory. Is that some Sentinel thing?”

“Nope. At least they don’t think so.” Mike shrugged. “Just a ‘me’ thing, I guess.”

“Bet that helps with school.” Harvey caught the bartender’s eye and gestured for two more drinks. “You said you were a part-time student?”

“Yup. Almost done with my Bachelor’s.”

“What do you want to do when you’re finished?”

Mike smiled and looked away. “Go to law school, I hope.” Harvard might be out of his reach now, but he could still have part of his dream.

“You want to be a lawyer?”

“Well, I already passed the bar exam, so I figure that’s one hurdle I don’t have to worry about.”

“You’ve already taken the bar exam? Why?”

“Some arrogant douchebag bet me I couldn’t pass it without going to law school.”

Harvey blinked. “And how did you pass it?”

“I studied.” Mike gestured to his head. “Eidetic memory, remember?”

“That’s… impressive.”

Mike didn’t answer. He stared down at his drink.

“Mike,” Harvey began, “How would you like to not be a bike messenger?”

  
 


	3. Chapter 3

“So, let me get this straight, he offered you a job?

Mike took another sip of his beer. “Yup, at Pearson Hardman. It’s one of the best firms in the city.” It was Sunday night and they were sitting at the bar in O’Gradys. Trevor had insisted that Mike meet him. He wanted all the dirt on the mixer.

Trevor shook his head. “That’s unbelievable. And he knows you’re still not done with school?”

“It’s just a paralegal job. He said it wouldn’t matter. My seminar is on Thursday night so I shouldn’t have a problem getting to it.”

Trevor grinned. “Well, it’s awesome. Congrats, Mike.” He held up his beer bottle and Mike clinked his against it. “Gotta say, though, Jim’s going to be pissed. He wanted to hire you once you graduated.”

Well, it would have been nice if Jim had mentioned that earlier, Mike thought. But he was happy he had gotten this job by himself. With Harvey. Harvey was kind of fascinating, a high profile lawyer who looked great in a three piece suit…

“So this Harvey guy sounds interesting.” Trevor said. “And he’s a Guide?”

Mike shook his head. “It’s not like that, Trevor. Believe me, he’s not interested.”

“How do you know? He offered you a job. I mean, he clearly wanted to see you again.”

“Yeah, so I could work for him. He’s just grateful that I helped him land this client.”

Trevor shook his head. “I was hoping you’d get a date and you come out with a job.”

“The job’s better. Believe me.” Mike took another pull of his beer.

“So you didn’t meet anyone else?”

“Well, there was the venture capitalist who wants to take me out for sushi, but he’s at least twenty-five years older than me, so not really.”

Trevor laughed. “So you told your grandmother yet?”

Mike smiled. “I told her this afternoon. She was thrilled.” Mike still felt warm just thinking about how her face had lit up.

I bet she was. I’m really proud of you, too.”

“Thanks.”

“And since I was the one who convinced you to go to this mixer, I think I at least should get some of the credit.”

Mike laughed. Typical Trevor. “How about I get the next round? Is that enough gratitude for you?”

“Well, it’s a start.”

 

*^*

The next week, Mike started his new job. It was crazy; he’d never actually worn a suit to work before. He biked through the glass and steel world of downtown Manhattan. On his first day, Mike was given a desk on the 20th floor and a stack of paperwork to fill out, then he had to go pee in a cup for the drug test.

He got called up to Harvey’s office around lunch.

Harvey smiled when he saw him. “Glad to see you showed up.”

“Did you think that I wouldn’t?”

Harvey shrugged. “Sometimes people look for any excuse not to be successful.”

“Well, I’m just glad you were sincere with the offer. I was sure I was going to show up and no one would have heard of me.”

A young man with short dark hair came into the office.

Harvey introduced them. “Mike, this is my associate, Jeff Markson. Jeff, Mike’s starting as a paralegal this morning.”

Jeff’s perfectly waxed eyebrows rose. “Oh, a paralegal? Well, nice to meet you, Matt.”

“It’s Mike.” Mike extended his hand and Jeff shook it perfunctorily.

“Right.”

The corner of Harvey’s mouth quirked. “Mike’s going to be helping us on the due diligence for the Devlin-Sterling merger.”

Jeff turned to Harvey. “I thought we were working with Rachel Zane on that?”

“Not since she threatened to go to HR about your ‘inappropriate comments.’ Get Mike the paperwork. I need it by close of business.” Harvey walked around and sat at his desk. He looked up to find them both still standing in front of the desk. “Bye.”

Jeff turned and walked to the door. Mike smiled. “Thanks again,” he said before turning and leaving.

*^*

The next few weeks passed in a blur. Mike threw himself into his new job. After getting his bearings, he plowed through all the work they gave him. He worked late every night but Thursdays, when he needed to get to his seminar. He also usually took work home with him over the weekend as well. None of the paralegals working anything like his hours, and he was quickly labeled a “Sentinel show-off” and a brownnoser. Mike didn’t care. He wasn’t here to make friends. He was here to do the work, and save money for law school.

Jeff soon became a regular visitor to the 20th floor. He was constantly coming down to drop off more files, or to ask questions ranging from legal precedents to obscure securities legislation. He didn’t become any less of a douche on further acquaintance, but he brought Mike interesting cases, and plenty of stories about Harvey.

“He did what?” Mike asked after the latest story. “He actually used the stenographer and the bailiff as examples?”

“Yeah” Jeff laughed. “By the time we got the ruling in our favor, the judge was giving the bailiff a suspicious side-eye.”

“You know, Mike,” Gavin, one of the other paralegals, said after Jeff had left one afternoon. “That guy’s probably upstairs taking credit for all of your work.”

Mike shrugged. “I know.”

“That’s so unfair, dude. You’re here late every night and half the weekend doing both your work and his, and that Harvard jagoff is getting all the credit for it.”

“Not quite.” They turned and found Harvey standing there. The sight of a senior partner on the floor was a shock. Half the paralegals were staring and several people had actually stood up and were peering over their cubicle walls.

Harvey leaned against Mike’s cube.

“You don’t have to go Harvard to be suspicious when your idiot associate suddenly becomes three hundred times more competent.” He picked up one of the contracts on Mike’s desk. “So you were the one that found that loophole for McKernon Motors two weeks ago?”

“You mean about the board not being able to vote Robert Stensland in as CEO until the next fiscal quarter? Um, yeah, that was me.”

Harvey shook his head. He flipped through the pile of files. “So he’s been pushing all his work on you? That figures.”

Mike shrugged. “You wanted me to help out. I’m helping out.”

“I wanted you to _help_. Not do everything yourself, and leave my associate with more time to harass other employees.”

Mike wasn’t sure what to say to that.

“From now on, my secretary will be the one to send you the work I need you to do for me. Jeff is going to be barred from your help.”

Mike nodded. “Okay.”

“And I want you to meet me in front of the building at nine sharp tomorrow. I’m going to go visit a client. You can tag along.”

“What, really?” Mike grinned.

“Don’t get too excited. It’s with the president of a doll company. I’m taking you because she’ll love your pretty face.” He pulled a file from the pile. “Here’s the expansion agreement. Make sure you know it backwards and forwards. Nine o’clock.” And with that, Harvey turned and sauntered off the floor.

There was a hush as he left.

“Well,” Gavin finally volunteered. “Looks like you get to go on a field trip.”

Mike smiled. “Awesome.”


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Mike was late. He pedaled as fast as he could, cutting in and out of traffic, swirling around taxis and jumping the curbs in order to cut corners. His enhanced senses did come in handy in situations. He skidded to a halt in front of the building where Harvey was waiting on the sidewalk.

“You’re late,” Harvey announced.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“I can’t believe you still ride your bike to work.”

Mike quickly chained his bike. “I like my bike. Good exercise, and I know all the best routes around the city.”

“I guess you would.” A man got out of an idling town car and opened the back door. “This is Ray. He knows a few good routes around the city too.” He handed a CD to Ray. “Eddie Hope and the Mannish Boys. 1959. Three guesses.”

“Guesses?” Ray scoffed. “Won’t be a fool no more,” he sang. “You insult me, Harvey.” Harvey grinned as he got in and Ray shut the door behind him. Ray gave Mike a kind smile. “Don’t worry. We won’t be late.”

As they drove over to the Upper East Side, Harvey and Ray quizzed each other about what Mike thought were blues musicians.

Mike sat back, bemused. Just being next to Harvey made him feel warm. He picture himself doing this all the time; Being a lawyer, and being driven to visit clients. It was a taste of a dream he had had for a long time. He was letting himself drift off into his own thoughts a bit when suddenly there was a loud noise. Almost in slow motion, Mike heard a crash, saw the traffic around him jerk to a stop, and then… nothing.

^*^

The crash jerked Harvey forward in his seat.

“Are you guys alright?” Ray called back to them worriedly.

“Fine, Ray.” Harvey unclicked his seatbelt. “Mike, are you… Shit.”

Mike had frozen. His eyes were wide, but blank and unseeing. The crash must have thrown him into a zone.

“Mike, Mike, can you hear me?” Harvey undid the seat belt and gently laid Mike down on the seat of the town car. He placed his palm on the side of his face. “Mike!”

“Harvey.” Ray had gotten out and opened the rear door. “Harvey, what’s wrong?”

“He’s in a zone. Call 911. Unbonded Sentinel, late twenties, in a zone.” In the background, he dimly heard someone yelling about private car services and running red lights.

He stroked a hand through Mike’s hair, more to calm himself than anything else. An ambulance would take Mike to the Tower, and their Guides should be able to bring him out of the zone. They were some of the best trained Guides in the world. That thought should have been comforting, but for some reason, it left Harvey cold. Some stranger would have his hands all over Mike, delving into his extraordinary mind.

“I am going to try to bring him out of it.” The words surprised Harvey even as he said them. “Ray, close the door and try to keep everyone out until the ambulance gets here.”

Ray already had his phone pressed to his ear. He nodded and shut the door.

Harvey wrapped one hand around the back of Mike’s neck, placed the other on his chest, just above his heart, and pressed his forehead to Mike’s. Then he closed his eyes and dived in.

Harvey had taken some rudimentary Guide training when he was in school, even one ridiculous weekend seminar while he was at Harvard, but he had never tried to bring a Sentinel out of an active zone before. It was probably a foolhardy thing to even attempt.

First, he had to consciously relax his own defenses, and allow the natural empathy which he normally kept tightly locked down to come to the forefront of his mind. Once that had happened, (and oh, it felt strange. It had been such a long time since he had done this), he slowly pushed it outward. He found Mike almost at once, and was instantly submerged in the miasma of Mike’s thoughts and sensations. At first, he was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that seemed to be flooding past him. Music he couldn’t recognize and what felt like pages and pages of legal contracting language, and then, if Harvey was not mistaken, text from the BarBri legal handbook were circling around on a seemingly endless loop.

He had to push his way through all of those thoughts until by some instinct, he found the source of the zone. The crash. Harvey experienced it again, this time from Mike’s perspective; the screech of the sudden stop, the glint of the sunlight off the windshield, the metallic crunch of metal on metal.

Harvey recognized the problem: the crash had somehow gotten linked to something else in Mike’s memory. It seemed to be tied in with two people, a youngish couple, dressed in evening clothes. Harvey concentrated a bit harder, trying to parse it. There was a young boy of about 11 or 12, dressed in soft pajamas was being kissed goodbye by a man and a woman. Harvey felt the pressure of lips on his own forehead. Were these people Mike’s parents? “ _Bye, sweetie, be good for Grammy._ ” And then, there was the crash again, and then, an overwhelming sensation of grief and loss.

Harvey waited for a moment and allowed Mike’s grief to wash over him. Mike was still a child when this awful thing had happened to him, so it was the extraordinary pain of a child’s grief that threatened to overwhelm him as well. _Cold. Alone. Lost._ Harvey took a deep breath and pushed his empathy outward even more, feeling it push deeper into Mike’s mind, trying to soothe the long ago hurt. _I’m here. I’m here. I have you. You’re not alone._

His own thoughts began to unspool a bit. Mike’s grief brought to the surface his memories of his own father’s death. Those missed phone calls and cancelled trips. Donna’s voice telling him how proud he was. He felt his hands tighten on Mike. So long since he had let himself feel those emotions. He was surprised how calming it felt to have someone to share them with.

Harvey suddenly realized he was in too deep. His thoughts were merging with Mike’s, interweaving like two tree roots growing too close. He instinctively realized what it was, the beginning of a bond.

Harvey slammed down on his empathy and physically pushed himself away from Mike. It felt like bursting to the surface after a deep water drive. He ripped himself out of Mike’s thoughts. It was the absolute wrong thing to do and it went contrary to all of his Guide training. But somehow it achieved the desired result. Mike followed him out. When Harvey opened his eyes, Mike’s met his. They were wide and confused, but he was conscious and blinking.

“Harvey?” He asked weakly. “What happened?”

“We were in an accident.” Harvey bit out. “You zoned.”

“I did? Oh God.” Mike sat up gingerly. He pressed a hand to his forehead. “I don’t remember anything. Is everyone okay?”

Harvey glanced around him. The ambulance had arrived, as well as the police. Through the window he saw Ray with a uniformed officer and another man, probably the cab driver, who was gesturing empathically.

“Everyone’s fine. I’ll get the EMTs”

“No, Harvey. “ Mike grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. “I’m okay now. I don’t need them.”

“You’ll go to the Tower and get checked out.” Harvey ordered. “No excuses.” He jerked open the door and pulled himself out of the car. He took a few deep breaths and fought the urge to wrap his arms around himself. It was too much, he had shared too much, opened himself up and allowed himself to be vulnerable. He wanted Mike far away from him. He needed time to regroup and put his defenses back into place.

He kept his distance and watched Mike futilely argue with the EMTs, then get loaded into the ambulance, resigned. As it drove away, he shook himself, and then turn his attention back to Ray and the cab driver and police officers. The cab driver was threatening to sue. Harvey relaxed. This he could handle.

*^*

Mike had pounding headache. He sat in the clinic room while a Tower Guide checked him out. He felt embarrassed more than anything. He couldn’t believe that he had zoned in front of Harvey. Even more unbelievably, Harvey had brought him out of it. Harvey had his shields locked down tighter than any Guide he had ever met. Did that mean something? Mike wondered. He wanted to talk to Harvey about it.

The Tower Guide had her hands on either side of his face. Mike closed his eyes as he felt her empathy wash over him. “Oh,” she murmured, “Your connections are frayed. That other Guide ripped you out of that zone, rather that easing you out. It’s clear he had inadequate training.”

Mike pulled back, somewhat affronted. “I am sure he did the best he could. I was zoned in the middle of New York traffic.”

“He should have waited. We are trained to deal with situations like this.” She put her hands back on his face. “I can try to smooth some of the ragged edges.”

“No, no I’m fine.” Mike pushed her hands away. “I don’t need any further Guiding.”

“Sir.” She seemed genuinely upset by the rejection. “We need to schedule a follow-up. Any Guiding that rough might have unintended consequences.”

“No. I need to get back to work.” He grabbed his messenger bag and headed down the hallway. He ignored her calls after him.

Mike signed himself out of the clinic and caught a cab back to Pearson Hardman. He sat at his desk and ignored his pounding head. He felt strangely antsy for some reason. When he called Donna to see if Harvey was back, she promptly scolded him for not just going home, and told him Harvey was going to be out for the rest of the day. Mike sighed and turned back to his work.

The antsy feeling only increased as the afternoon wore on. He kept thinking that he needed to go see Harvey, or just talk to Harvey, and he wondered if Donna would give him Harvey’s cell phone number. Which was insane.

At the end of the day, he purposely biked the long way home to try to burn off some of his nervous energy. He felt, for the first time in years, the burning desire to smoke some pot. It was the only think he could think of that would take the edge off of the way he was feeling.

But that was stupid. And could get him fired from his awesome job. So that was out of the question.

He finally went out and bought some beer. He forced himself to drink three of them, but even that did not seem to help. Finally he gave up and went to bed.

 


	5. Chapter 5

For the next week, Harvey ignored Mike completely. He only sent a handful of files down through Donna, and was always either out of his office or on the phone when Mike came up to see him. Mike still managed to keep busy; other people were beginning to notice his skills, and he was now getting regular work from the other partners as well.

Mike had just finished with the due diligence for the merger for a junior partner named Louis Litt. He also had a brief for Harvey that Donna hadn’t picked up yet, so he decided to drop both of them off himself.

After dropping the merger paperwork off with Litt’s secretary, he headed to Harvey’s office. Donna had stepped away from her desk, so Mike decided to let himself in.

Harvey looked up when he came in. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Mike held up the file. “Just dropping this off.”

Harvey frowned. “There was no rush.”

“Yeah, but I felt like taking a walk.”

“You can leave it on Donna’s desk.” Harvey looked down. It was a clear dismissal.

Mike cleared his throat. “So, I wanted to thank you for bringing me out of the zone.”

Harvey flipped a page on the file he was reading. “It wasn’t a problem.”

Mike swallowed, and pushed forward. “It’s annoying. I always zone when I get into a car accident.”

“How many car accidents do you tend to get into?” Harvey looked up at him and then quickly back down.

Mike laughed. “Not that many. I mean, it happened once when I was in high school. Our bus got rear ended. Trevor, my friend, Trevor, had to bring me out of it back then.”

Harvey’s hands tightened on the paper he was reading, but said nothing.

“My parents were killed in a car accident when I was eleven. They think that’s why it always happens, my emotions about their death get triggered and I just--”

“Mike,” Harvey cut in. “You don’t have to tell me about this stuff. I don’t care. I brought you out. It’s done.”

“Right.” Mike struggled for a moment, trying to hide how stung he was. “Right, fine. Well, thanks again.” He turned and walked out of the office, dumping the file on Donna’s desk without a word.

Harvey watched him go, and then pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Nice.” Donna’s voice floated through the intercom. “The kid was baring his soul to you, and you slapped him down.”

“Not now, Donna.”

“I’m just saying, any human would have been affected by the adorable orphan telling you how he lost his parents. But not Harvey Specter, he’s made of ice--”

Harvey reached out and switched the intercom off. He got up and leaned against the window. It’s not like Mike had told him anything he didn’t already know. Perhaps it was harsh to cut the kid off like that, but… Harvey’s feelings about him were already too strong for his liking. It had to be an aftereffect of pulling him out of the zone.

Harvey thought back to the moment when he felt their minds connecting. It was dangerous. Harvey felt that they could have slipped into a bond very easily. And one thing he absolutely didn’t need or want was a bondmate.

He looked back in the direction Mike had gone. Even more dangerous, he found himself wanting to go after Mike. To apologize, to promise he’d make it up to the kid. And that was so unlike him, he knew he had to stay away. He’d keep his distance, and give it some time. Everything would be fine.

***

After another month, Mike completed his last three credits and finally got his Bachelor’s degree. Trevor and Jim took him out to dinner to celebrate.

“Glad you could make some time for us, Mike,” Jim joked after their drink orders had been taken. “Have they got you chained to your desk over there or something?”

Mike smiled. “Sorry, guys. I know I’ve been unavailable lately. It’s just… this is my first real job and I want to make a good impression.”

“I don’t know how you wouldn’t,” Trevor said. “With all the hours you’ve been working.”

“I have been staying late, but – I like the work. It’s interesting.”

Jim smiled. “You’re a natural. I’m sure you are doing a good job. Have they let you sit in on any client meetings yet?”

Mike laughed. “No, but not for lack of trying. Harvey took me with him to visit a client once, but we didn’t make it. A cab ran a red light and crashed into the car we were in.”

Trevor’s eyes widened. “Shit, Mike. Where you okay?”

Oh crap. He shouldn’t have brought this up. Trevor knew too well how car crashes affected him. “I was fine.”

“You didn’t zone?”

“No, I did but… Harvey brought me out of it pretty quickly.”

Trevor’s eyebrows rose. “ _Harvey_ brought you out of it?”

“Did he know about your parents?” Jim asked.

Mike shook his head. “No, but I guess I wasn’t in too deep.”

Trevor leaned forward. “Did he say anything about it?”

“No. I haven’t even talked to him in weeks. He must think I’m bad luck after that. The whole thing turned into a mess. The cabbie tried to sue his driver, and Harvey had to go to court to defend him.”

“Well, that sucks.”

Mike was saved from having to comment by the arrival of their drinks. After their dinner order was taken, he managed to change the subject. After dinner, they ended up in a bar not far from Jim and Trevor’s apartment. They grabbed a table and Jim went to the bar for the first round of drinks.

“So, have you gone to any more of those Tower mixers?” Trevor asked.

Mike rolled his eyes. “No, Trevor. I have not.”

“Why not? You certainly lucked out the first time you went.”

“Yeah, but I have a job now.” Mike grinned.

Jim returned from the bar with three beers and three shots.

“Oh man, guys. I have to work tomorrow.”

“Come on, Mikey. You only graduate from college once.” They all clinked their glasses together.

A few more rounds, and Mike was starting to think that he really needed to get home. Trevor went in search of the bathroom, leaving Jim and Mike at the table.

“You getting eyed-up,” Jim sing-songed to him softly. “The blond at the bar.”

Mike cast a discreet glance over his shoulder. “How do you know she’s not looking at you?”

Jim smirked. “I can tell. Come on. Go make your move. I’ll find Trevor and we’ll take off.”

Mike grinned. “Thanks for dinner, Jim.”

“My pleasure. It was nice to see you. Don’t let them work you too hard.” He clapped Mike on the back.

“No, no I won’t. Thanks again.”

Jim slipped out of his seat. After a minute, Mike glanced at the girl again. Well, why the hell not? He got up and headed to the bar. She immediately walked over to him.

“You guys looked like you were having fun.”

“Oh yeah, just a little celebration,” Mike said.

“What are you celebrating?”

“Um, I finally finished my college degree.”

She grinned. “Now, that is worth celebrating. Let me buy you a drink?”

Mike leaned on the bar. “How about you let me buy you one?”

The girl, Christy, was fun and flirty. But after another drink, Mike realized that he wasn’t interested. He took her number just to be polite, put Christy in a cab, and headed home solo.

*^*

Mike was back at work the next day when Rachel Zane came down to the 20th floor. Mike had met her once or twice in passing, but they had never actually had a conversation before.

“Oh, hi Ms. Zane.”

“Call me Rachel, please.”

“Okay, Rachel. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to grab lunch today.”

“What – really?”

“I thought we could trade notes on the Frankel class action. And--” Rachel treated him to a truly stunning smile. “Well, I thought I should get to know the guy who’s apparently in the running for the _second_ best paralegal in the firm.”

Mike laughed. “Is there an office like yours that goes with that title?”

“Maybe. Anyway, there’s this new place I’ve been meaning to try. Let’s say we head out around eleven? I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“Sounds good.”

After Rachel left, Gavin stood up and leaned over the cubicle wall. “Dude, Rachel Zane was just hitting on you.”

“She wasn’t hitting on--”

“Rachel fucking Zane. She has half the associates drooling after her, and yet she wants to have lunch with you. You hit the freaking jackpot, man.”

Mike rolled his eyes.

*^*

Lunch with Rachel was kind of fun. She took him to a place named Dougal’s. The food was way too fancy for Mike in general, but they had these mini sliders made with Kobe beef that were fantastic.

“That is what I am talking about,” Mike groaned around a mouthful. “Mmm.”

“I don’t get it. How do you have no appreciation for fine food?” Rachel asked incredulously.

“We didn’t have a lot of money growing up.” Mike explained around another mouthful. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just comfortable with what I’m comfortable with.”

“That is the exact opposite of me. I’ve – I’ve always loved new experiences.”

“And your parents?”

“Oh, they’re loaded.” They both laughed.

They talked about work and the future. Rachel wanted to go to law school too, but she confessed that she tested badly. Mike thought it was a shame since he tested so easily. He offered to help her out. They agreed to meet in her office the next afternoon. It didn’t take long to determine what Rachel’s problem was with testing. She was constantly second-guessing herself.

“Rachel, you have to remember, they’re asking which argument is most vulnerable.”

Rachel sighed. “I could make the case that they’re all vulnerable arguments.”

“You could, but your first instinct was ‘A.’ You’ve got to go with your gut.”

“But it might be a trick question,” Rachel protested.

Mike put down the LSAT book and sighed. “You’re overthinking everything. You just need to go with your first impulse and then move on. Don’t be afraid of the trick questions”

Rachel pursed her lips. “How does this come so easy to you?”

Mike shook his head. “I don’t know. It just always has. I’ve always tested well, going way back to that achievement test in the first grade.”

“Unbelievable.” Rachel gave him a warm grin.

Mike knew, objectively, that he should be excited. A beautiful woman was flirting with him, telling him how brilliant he was. And she was Rachel Zane. She was a legend among the paralegals. He should be all over this, asking her to dinner, drinks, whatever. But instead, he just felt… wrong. He liked Rachel, he really did. He’d like to be her friend, but anything else…

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “Work on this test. Don’t change any of your answers and I’ll check it tomorrow. Okay, I gotta go.”

He hopped up and hurried out of the office. He heard Rachel call “Okay, bye,” after him. She sounded confused. He didn’t blame her. He was too.


	6. Chapter 6

Harvey walked out of his office. “Donna, where’s the due diligence on Kronzsky merger?”

“Mike just dropped it off.” Donna handed it to him.

Harvey flipped through the file. “What took him so long? Mike can usually burn through one of these files in an hour.”

“Maybe since you are so determined to ignore him, your files aren’t so high on his priority list anymore.”

Harvey set the file down with a slap. “Who’s he putting ahead of me?”

Donna smirked at him. “Thought you didn’t care.”

“Donna, who?”

Donna sighed. “Don’t worry, it’s not another partner. Mike’s just been helping Rachel Zane prepare for the LSATs. They’ve been spending most of their lunches together.”

Harvey considered this.

Donna lowered her voice. “I think she’s developing a major crush on him.”

Harvey rolled his eyes. “Donna--”

“I am just saying, it’s your own fault if--”

“Donna, I really don’t care what Mike Ross does with his free time.” Harvey’s stomach twisted unpleasantly.

“Harvey, with how long we’ve know each other, do you really expect me to buy that?”

Harvey looked away. “It’s the truth, Donna. It has to be the truth.”

“Has to?”

Harvey met her eyes. “Yes, it has to. I can’t be what he needs.”

“Are you sure?”

Harvey didn’t answer. He turned and stared out the window until he heard Donna leave.

*^*

Mike was at his desk when Donna called him.

“Have you finished your review on the Pederansky file?”

Mike eyed the huge file currently sitting in his outbox. “Yup.” It had taken him most of last night. “I was just about to email you the brief and my notes.”

“He wants you to bring it up yourself.”

Mike’s eyebrows rose. “Really?” He had hardly spoken to Harvey in weeks, not since the older man had brushed him off about the zone.

“That’s what he said, Puppy. Now fetch.” Donna’s voice was playful.

“Arf.” Mike hung up the phone. He printed out his notes and picked up the giant file. When he got to Harvey’s office, Donna waved him inside without a word.

“Hey, I have the file you asked for. And my notes--”

“I don’t have time to read your notes. I need you to brief me.”

“Okay. Well, the corporation recently acquired--”

“Not here. I have a busy afternoon and need to eat. You can brief me at lunch. Let’s go.”

Mike blinked. “You’re taking me to lunch?”

Harvey gave him an ‘ _Obviously’_ glare. “Unless you have another study date?”

“Um, no.” Mike was growing more bewildered by the minute. Harvey knew about his study sessions with Rachel? “Let’s go.” He followed Harvey out of the office.

Donna gave him a wink as they went by her, which only added to his confusion. They wound up in an upscale bistro Mike had never been to before. He was expecting a quick sandwich with Harvey quizzing him on the case between bites, it turned out to be anything but.

An hour later, they had somehow gotten mired in an argument about basketball. Mike had no idea how the topic had even come up.

Harvey put down his sandwich and leaned back in his chair. “It favors effort over skill: It forces your opponent into making a mistake. I admit, it’s not going to work against truly skilled teams, but it can be an effective a strategy for underdogs.”

“But using a full court press is basically admitting that they couldn’t win any other way.” Mike took another bit of his salad. “It looks desperate.”

“You’re missing the point,” Harvey countered. “Which is that _they’re winning_.”

“Winning with no style.”

Harvey twirled his fingers in an expansive gesture. “Winning.”

Mike shook his head. “Sorry, dude, but you just seem to be someone who would be concerned about doing things with style.”

“Don’t call me dude.” Harvey sat back and seemed to consider his point. “It is important to win with style when you can, but you still have to win. An ugly win is still better than a pretty loss.”

Mike was silent a moment. He really didn’t have anything against the full court press. He wasn’t even that big of a basketball fan in general, but he couldn’t remember the last time that he had enjoyed an argument more. Maybe that night he and Jim had debated _Mercer v. Versed_ over dinner, but that had ended when Trevor had gotten up from the table and pointedly turned on the TV.

“So you like rooting for the underdog?” he asked.

Harvey smiled. “David and Goliath is one of my favorite stories.”

“You know, most people get that story all wrong. David changed the rules of the game without telling the other person. Goliath was expecting hand to hand combat and David attacked him from a distance.”

“He still won.”

“By bringing a gun to a knife fight.” Mike grinned.

Despite his claims of a busy afternoon, Harvey didn’t seem to be in any hurry for the check. They were lingering over coffee when he finally asked Mike about some of the intricacies of the Pederansky case. Mike was rattling off the details as Harvey finally called for the check. Mike grinned as he got up and pulled his jacket from the back of his chair. He felt more relaxed than he had been in weeks.

Harvey fell strangely silent as they walked back to the office. Mike chattered on about some of the other work he was doing.

“Well, thanks for lunch,” Mike offered as they approached the building.

Harvey nodded.

“Much better than the usual hot dogs and Red Bull,” he went on.

“I would have thought Rachel Zane would have better taste than that.”

Mike laughed. “She does. Rachel usually likes sushi for our study sessions. You know, fish. Brain food.”

This seemed to be the wrong thing to say for some reason. Harvey’s face, so open and animated during their lunch, completely shut down. He abruptly turned away from Mike. “Make sure you email me the brief on Pederansky. I need to go. I’m late for a meeting.”

He turned and walked away before Mike could respond.

*^*

Over the next week, Mike grew increasingly baffled by Harvey’s behavior. He would be warm and open one minute, then closed off and cold the next. Mike never knew what was going to set him off.

Harvey dragged Mike out for a hot dog one afternoon, they laughed and exchanged Rocky quotes until Mike mentioned how he and Trevor used to watch all the movies every Christmas vacation. At that, Harvey immediately dismissed him with a request to get a thousand pages of proofing done.

When it had started pouring rain the next afternoon, Harvey insisted that Ray take Mike home rather than letting him ride in the rain.

Two days later, when he found Mike and Rachel in the law library, he snapped that he wasn't paying him to flirt, and they’d better get back to work before he reported them for wasting company time. Which was rich, since they probably worked more hours than most of the junior Partners.

Mike started wondering what the guy’s issue was. Maybe he just naturally ran hot and cold. But, he didn’t seem that way with other people. Harvey joked with Donna all the time, but it was always clear he respected and valued her. Jeff, he consistently treated with the same kind of disdainful tolerance, tempered occasionally with faint praise when he managed to show some competence.

But with Mike, he was constantly puzzling. Mike decided to give up trying to figure it out. Harvey had gotten Mike this job, and he owed Harvey nothing more than his good work. He would just keep his head down, do his job and not try to spend any more time with Harvey than absolutely necessary. Of course, while neither of them knew it, Fate had other plans for the both of them.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now begins the case I promised you in the summary... Please let me know what you think!

Mike was bent over his desk, music pouring into his ears as he checked a spreadsheet for any financial irregularities. Suddenly, one of his ear buds was yanked out of his ear. Mike jumped nearly a foot. “Wha! What’s going on?”

Harvey had materialized next to him. “I need you in my office.”

“Um, okay.” Mike fumbled with the files on his desk.

“Now.” Harvey barked.

Mike heard murmurs from the other paralegals as he followed Harvey into the elevator. He knew speculation would be rampant. They’d probably have a betting pool set up by the time he got back to his desk.

While Harvey went right into his office, Mike stopped at Donna’s desk. “What’s going on?” he asked conspiratorially.

Donna shook her head. “No idea. Jessica called him into her office this morning, and then Harvey told Jeff to work with Louis for the next two weeks. He was whining so bad--”

“Mike!” Harvey bellowed.

Mike scurried in.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Jessica dumped a new case on me this morning. For a new, very publicity shy client.”

Mike waited. “Are you going to tell me who it is?”

Harvey was sorting through some files on his desk. “The Tower.”

“The Tower? Wow, I always thought they had their own stable of lawyers.”

“They do. But in this case, they have sought outside council. It’s to deal with ‘a matter of extreme sensitivity.’ And they have insisted everyone involved is either a Sentinel or a Guide, for some reason.”

So that explained Mike getting pulled from the bench (or the twentieth floor, as it were).

Harvey looked at his watch. “They should be here any minute.”

“Anything I need to do?”

“Read and sign these non-disclosure forms.” Harvey handed him a stack of papers.

Mike glanced through them. “Wow, these guys sure cover their bases.”

“They are very thorough.”

“More like paranoid,” Mike muttered, scribbling his name on the form.

“Here they are.”

Mike looked up as Donna opened the door and ushered two people inside. A tall man in his late forties in a dark suit, and a younger women wearing a silk print dress with a sweater.

“Dr. Alcott.” Harvey extended his hand. “I am Harvey Specter. And,” He gestured to Mike, “This is Mike Ross. He’s going to be helping me out on this case.”

“Very nice to meet you, Guide Specter,” Dr. Alcott said officiously. “And Sentinel Ross.”

Mike suppressed a grin. Almost no one used the titles of Guide and Sentinel anymore. But it figured an official from the Tower would. Harvey was visibly annoyed by it.

“This is Sentinel Davenport,” Alcott was going on, as the woman extended her hand to both of them as well. “She is the head of public relations department.”

“Please sit down.” Harvey gestured to the couch.

They did.

“Well,” Harvey began. “Why don’t you tell us why you requested this meeting?”

“We can begin as soon as the intercom on your desk is switched off,” Ms. Davenport said.

“Donna!”

Donna clicked something at her desk.

Ms. Davenport smiled. “Thank you very much.”

Mike’s eyebrows rose. It was an impressive use of her enhanced hearing, since she must have enhanced it enough to hear the open channel and then dialed it back down in a matter of seconds.

Dr. Alcott cleared his throat. “As you know, the Tower is devoted to the well-being of all Sentinels and Guides in the New York area. We are also completely committed to their privacy, and their right to go about their lives as they see fit.”

Harvey and Mike nodded.

Dr. Alcott raised his eyebrows. “I am sorry for the personal question, but are you two bonded?”

“Us? No,” Mike replied.

Dr. Alcott’s eyebrows ascended further. “Oh? And neither of you is bonded to another person?”

“No,” Harvey said bluntly. “We are not. Is that going to be a problem?”

Dr. Alcott and Ms. Davenport exchanged a glance. “I actually don’t know if that makes it easier or harder,” Ms. Davenport said sheepishly. “I take it you are both aware, at least partially, of the process.”

“Just what they told me in school,” Mike said.

Harvey shrugged his agreement.

Ms. Davenport nodded. “Well, that’s enough to be going on with, I suppose. You know then, of course, that bonding is a process that takes several days, and both parties must maintain close contact with each other with limited outside interference.” She took a brochure out of her briefcase and handed it across the table to them. “At the Tower, we provide bonding suites at the for those Sentinel-Guide pairings that would like to do so in a safe, secure environment. You can see an example of them here.”

Mike picked up the brochure. It looked like a nice hotel room.

“Now,” She was going on, “These rooms are monitored--”

Mike looked up. “Monitored? Why is that?”

Dr. Alcott sighed. “Bonding is a very emotional process. It’s not unheard of for Sentinels to go into what is called a ‘primal’ sort of zone. Very aggressive, highly physical. Sometimes we find it best to administer a mild sedative to those individuals, for their and their partner’s safety.”

Harvey raised his eyebrows. “So, occasionally, a Sentinel goes crazy and gets violent during the bonding process.”

Ms. Davenport looked affronted. “It’s not just Sentinels. Guides can have these episodes too. They’re just not as commonly documented as--”

“It’s not common,” Dr. Alcott cut in. “But it does happen.”

Harvey glanced at Mike. “That is certainly not something they told us about in school.”

“Bonding takes place during a highly charged emotional state,” Ms. Davenport said stiffly. “It cannot really be understood by those who have not experienced it.”

Harvey nodded. “Well, this is fascinating, but perhaps we could come to the point?”

Dr. Alcott shook his head. “As we said, we have bonding suites in the Tower, and they are monitors. However we have been steadfast that the monitors were only for real-time observation purposes. There was never to be any recording of any kind.”

“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

Dr. Alcott and Ms. Davenport exchanged a glance. Dr. Alcott sighed. “It has come to our attention that someone, a former employee, no doubt, has been recording the feed from the suites.”

“Here we go,” Harvey muttered. “How did it come to your attention?”

“We were sent a DVD along with a letter in the mail.”

“So this former employee is blackmailing you,” Harvey stated flatly.

“Yes. The letter with the DVD stated that… this person wants one million dollars, or they are going to release the footage on the internet.”

Harvey looked at Ms. Davenport. “Which would be a public relations nightmare for the Tower.”

“Not just the Tower. Aside from the massive invasion of privacy for our clients, it could affect the public’s perception of the bonding process, and of Sentinels and Guides themselves.”

“You’re afraid people will think all Sentinels are out-of-control sex fiends?” Harvey asked.

Ms. Davenport’s forehead wrinkled. “Bonding is an intensely personal, beautiful process. But it would look very different to outsiders; people who have not experienced it for themselves.”

Mike decided to get off this topic. “Have you contacted the police?” He asked.

“Not yet.” Dr. Alcott responded.

Harvey looked surprised. “May I ask why not?”

Dr. Alcott frowned. “The board has met and determined that the people in the footage need to be identified and contacted first. They need to be made aware of the threat, and we will respect their wishes. If the majority of them want us to pay to make this go away, we will. But some kind of consensus needs to be reached among all of them.”

Harvey smiled grimly. “And you want us to do that. Take the brunt of the outrage by making the notification, and at the same time, try to protect the Tower from a massive breach of privacy suit?”

Dr. Alcott smiled. “Something like that. You will also facilitate the payment, if necessary.”

“Did the letter arrange a drop?”

“It requested one million dollars in US Bearer Bonds. To be dropped off at a location specified later. It said another letter would arrive in two weeks.”

“Dr. Alcott, I really would advise you to contact the police or the FBI immediate--“

“Nothing can be done until we identify the individuals involved.” Dr. Alcott was stonefaced.

“And how will you be doing that?”

“One of our analysts will be reviewing the disc this afternoon and matching the faces to our files.”

“I’d like Mike to be there as well.” Mike turned to Harvey, surprised. “To ensure the discretion of the process.”

“Of course,” Dr. Alcott agreed. He turned to Mike. “Come by the Tower at two pm. Lyra will be expecting you.”

“Once we have the names, we can proceed with the notifications. It might be better to do them all at once.” Harvey considered.

“Whatever you think is best.” Dr. Alcott stood. “We do greatly appreciate your help in this matter, Mr. Specter.”

Harvey stood as well, and they all shook hands again. “We’ll try to make this as least painful as possible.”

“We do appreciate it.” They turned and left.

Once they had, Harvey collapsed back on to the sofa. “Holy shit. Jessica is going to owe me for this one.”

“I think you are going to owe _me_ ,” Mike retorted. “What’s with volunteering me to go watch the DVD this afternoon?”

Harvey gave him a wry grin. “Most guys would be thrilled their boss gave them permission to blow off work and watch porn all afternoon.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “It’s not porn. It’s a recording of other people’s bonding process. It’s incredibly intimate.”

“It’s a tape of people having sex.”

“You know, it’s not all sex. A good portion of bonding is the imprinting process, which is--”

“I will bet you a thousand dollars that tape is mostly sex. I doubt our blackmailer was interested in the non-sexual part of the imprinting process.” Harvey looked up at him. “Deal?”

Mike grinned in spite of himself. “No bet.”

“I didn’t think so.” Harvey sighed. “Anyway, I need you there because I need to know exactly what we’re dealing with. I wouldn’t it past the Tower to try to whitewash the entire process.

Mike knew he should probably head back down to his desk. But he was curious. “Why do you think this guy did it?”

“Personal use?” Harvey grimaced. “And then times get tough and he needs money?”

“Or he gets fired and decides he wants revenge.”

Harvey nodded. “That’s plausible as well. We may never know if the Tower decides to pay him off.”

Mike sighed. He liked this, the easy camaraderie with Harvey that was flaring up again. But he knew it wouldn’t last. “Well, I better go free up my afternoon.”

“Have fun,” Harvey called after him.

Mike flipped him the bird as he left. The sound of Harvey’s laughter followed him down the hall.


	8. Chapter 8

Mike arrived at the Tower at two p.m. sharp. It was a distinctly modern building, all sleek curves of glass and steel, rising sixty stories into the New York skyline. He was met in the lobby by a tall woman her early forties. Her conservative suit was in direct contrast to the purple streaks in her long dark hair.

“Sentinel Ross?” she asked.

“Mike, please.” Mike shook her hand.

She gave him a big grin. “Hi Mike, I’m Lyra. Sorry, some people around here prefer the old titles.”

“No problem. So I hear we have a fun afternoon planned.”

She winced. “I know.” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “I feel awful about this. It is such a massive invasion of privacy. But they need to be informed, don’t they?” She led him through security and down an ornate marble hallway to a bank of elevators. “Before we get started, Dr. Alcott said that you’re aren’t really that familiar with the bonding process.”

“Just what I learned in school.” Mike replied.

“Well, I thought I could take you through one of our bonding suites. You know, sort of give you the lay of the land, so to speak, so you know what you are seeing on the video.”

“Sure,” Mike agreed.

They got into the elevator. Lyra swiped her keycard at the sensor and hit the button for the fortieth floor. Once there, they went down another hallway and she swiped her keycard at a door that was painted lavender.

“Whoa,” Mike said as they entered. The brochure did not do this place justice. This room would not be out of place in a luxury hotel. His feet sank down on the deep pile carpet. One wall was made entirely of glass and showed a spectacular view of the city. There was also a sitting area with plush furnishing, but the room was dominated by a massive bed in the center. It had to be a California king. Mike ran his hand across the bedding. Organic silk and cotton, if he was not mistaken. “This is really nice.”

“We try to spare no expense. Come through to the kitchen.”

Mike walked into the kitchenette. There were granite countertops and top-of-the-line appliances. He pulled open the door of the stainless steel refrigerator. It was fully stocked with food, meat, cheeses, fresh fruits. “I could eat for over a week here.”

“Guests can also request any kind of specialty food or take-out available in the city.” Lyra smiled. “We get lots of orders for pizza and Chinese food.”

Mike laughed. He quickly walked through the last room. It was a bathroom with a huge marble tub and a separate glass encased shower with dual shower heads. There was a double vanity and… “Is that a bidet?”

“Everything you could need.”

“Okay, I think I am getting the general idea. Quite a love nest. How many of these do you have?”

“Twelve. I don’t think they’ve ever all been in use at the same time, though.”

“And are they all the same?”

“For the most part. A few have balconies, and I think one has a Jacuzzi in the living area.”

“And where are the cameras?”

Lyra pointed at the stained glass ceiling light cover over the bed. “They are concealed in the light covers. There is one in each room. 360 degree coverage in each.”

Mike nodded. “Got it.”

She led him down the hallway into a small conference room. She closed and locked the door behind them. A large video screen was set up on one wall.

They sat down. “So is there someone here continuously to monitor the feeds?

Lyra shook her head. “No, it’s not a full time or even an official position. Sometimes a week can go by and we will have no bondings take place.”

“Who usually monitors the feed?”

“Generally, it’s one of the researchers. But on occasions, it could be high level admin like myself.”

Mike nodded.

“There are nine chapters on the DVD, so I think we are looking at nine pairs.” Lyra picked up a file box and placed in on the conference table. “These are the files of all the bondings that have taken place here in the last ten years. They include photos. I can also search on records on my laptop. So we match the faces to the names. Hopefully we won’t have to watch too much of the footage to make an ID.”

She put the DVD in the player and picked up the remote. “Ready?” She asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Mike replied, sitting down in one of the chairs.

The screen switched on. The room was instantly filled with sounds of moaning. On screen, a blond woman was stretched across a large bed with a man lying on top of her. His hands were on her wrists and he was holding her pinned as he kissed her neck.

“Jesus.” Mike felt his cheeks heat.

Lyra looked uncomfortable too. “I’ll see if I can zoom in on their faces,” she said.

“Can we mute it?” Mike asked.

Lyra hesitated. “They might call each other by name at some point. That could help us narrow it down.”

Mike sighed. That was a good point.

This sex was definitely rough. The woman arched her back and writhed under the man. She appeared to struggle, but the man was stronger than her. The whole scene didn’t necessarily scream consensual.

“This video quality is very good,” Mike said lamely, mostly just to have something to say.

“We spare no expense,” Lyra responded. “These cameras have the highest lens quality in the industry.”

“Oh fuck, baby,” The man leaned down and licked a stripe up her neck. At that, the woman wrapped a leg around his hip and arched up into him. They both moaned again. The man released one of her wrists and cupped her face. “Ronnie, you are so hot, and all mine.”

“Ronnie!” Mike yelped. “Do you have a Ronnie on file?”

Lyra paused the DVD, and pulled the laptop towards her.

“I have no records for either a Sentinel or a Guide named Ronnie,” Lyra announced, after typing into the laptop. She scratched her forehead. “It must be a nickname.”

“Ronnie,” Mike murmured to himself. “Look up Rhonda or Ronna.”

“We have a Rhonda,” Lyra announced after a minute. “But she’s a forty-five year old brunette.”

“Hmm.” Mike thought for a moment. “Wait, let’s try Veronica.”

“Good call, Mike… Okay, yup, here’s one. Veronica Marsden, bonded June 9, 2010. He partner was a Martin Scott.”

Mike flipped through the file box and pulled out the file. He flipped open the page and found a picture of the man and woman. He held them up to the screen. “I think we can say that’s a match.”

“Thank god. One down, eight to go.”

Lyra advanced the DVD, and the next scene came up. They both winced. This one involved a man with dark hair who was very tall and broad. The muscles stood out on his arms. His partner was a very petite redhead.

“He looks like he could break her in half,” Mike muttered.

Despite the differences in their sizes, the woman appeared to be the more aggressive one in this case. Mike’s eyes widened as she raked her nails down the man’s back hard enough to draw blood. “Shit.”

As the man flipped her over, Mike caught sight of something. “There, on his right shoulder, is that a tattoo?”

“Not just a tattoo. That’s an Army Ranger tat. I can do a search for military service.”

Mike reached out to pause the footage.

“Bingo,” Lyra said a moment later. “Robert Iselin. And the woman is Alexandra Dremmer. December 24th, 2009.”

“Nice Christmas present there.” Mike eyed the screen.

An hour and a half later, they had ID’d four more couples. Mike was sure that he never wanted to watch any porn ever again. They declared they needed a break.

Lyra brought in some chips and sodas from a nearby break room.

Mike looked up from the files as she handed him a cold Coke. “Thanks. At least these appear to be in some kind of order. The more couples we see, the further back the dates are getting. So at least that gives us something to go on regarding the files.”

“Thank god for small favors,” Lyra said. “At least he didn’t put them in order or his favorites or something like that.”

“So why do you thing he chose these couples?” Mike opened his soda.

Lyra shrugged. “From what we’ve seen the sex is fairly rough, but nothing severe enough to merit intervention.” She was quiet for a second. “Wait, hand me the files we’ve ID’d.”

Mike handed them over. Lyra flipped through them. “Huh. None of these had reservations.”

“Do people generally reserve these suites?”

“They can. But we have a policy to always have suites available in case of exigent circumstances as well.”

Mike’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, ‘exigent circumstances’?”

Lyra squirmed uncomfortably. “There’re generally called ‘impulse bondings’”

“Okay, and what does that mean?”

She sighed. “There are cases, rare cases, but when a Sentinel and a Guide meet, the connection is immediate, almost frenetic. They have an overwhelming compulsion to complete the bonding immediately.”

“What, when they’ve only just met?”

Lyra nodded.

Mike’s eyes widened. “You mean, all the people we’ve just been watching… They had only met _that day?_ And they bonded immediately”

Lyra nodded again. “Yes, it looks like.”

“Jesus.” Mike took a gulp of his Coke. “That certainly puts a new spin on this.” He tried to imagine a lifelong commitment to someone that quickly.

“Yes. Maybe that’s why he recorded these couples. ”

“He likes watching near-strangers have rough sex? That’s quite the kink.” Mike shook his head. “We still need to figure out how, though. Was the same person monitoring all of these couples?”

“Nope. Not even close.” Lyra passed Mike a list of the names and dates. “And everyone on this list still works for the Tower.”

“Hmm. That lets out the disgruntled former employee theory.”

“Well.” Lyra picked up the remote. “Are you ready for the next one?”

“Go ahead.”

Lyra pushed Play. Mike took one look at the screen and bolted straight out of his chair. “Holy shit.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

Mike knocked on the familiar door, his stomach rolling.

There was a moment’s pause, and then the door swung open. “Mike,” Trevor exclaimed. “What’s going on, man?”

Mike endured a hug. “Hey, not much. Just, uh, thought I’d swing by. Are you guys busy?”

Trevor drew back. “Nope. Jim’s working late again. I was just about to cook some burgers. Want in?”

“Sure. I’m starving.” Mike shrugged off his jacket as he followed Trevor back into the apartment.

“Beer?”

“Sure.” Mike sat at the counter and looked around. It had been a month since he actually been here. He shook his head. He shouldn’t let that happen again. Trevor and Jim were his friends. They had been there for him during the tough times. He should make time to spend with them instead of getting wrapped up in his job. That was, of course, if they were still speaking to him once this night was over.

He watched Trevor spin around the kitchen with familiar ease. “So how is work going?”

Trevor rolled his eyes. “Crazy. Let me tell you about what I had to deal with today…”

Mike listened with half an ear. He was still mentally rehearsing what he was going to say. Would it be better to tell them both together?

“So she’s saying, ‘I need the files off of this memory stick.’ And I tell her, ‘This isn’t a memory stick, it’s the receiver for your wireless mouse.’ And she says, ‘I don’t care, I just need the files.’ So I try to explain, ‘You couldn’t have saved any files to this,’ and then she starts yelling that I am calling her a liar… Mike? Earth to Mike.”

Mike blinked. A burger had materialized in front of him. “Sorry, sorry. Lost in my own head again.”

Trevor smiled and sat down next to him. “Work still crazy, huh?”

Mike took a bite of his burger. “This is awesome,” he said once he had swallowed. “Yeah, it’s been crazy. But I just got assigned a new case. I am working with Harvey.”

Trevor raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

“Not like that. I mean…” Mike shrugged. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. Half the time, he’s really nice, and the other half, he completely ignores me.”

“Weird.”

“Helloo?” A voice called from the front door.

“In here,” Trevor called back.

Jim appeared, in his usual flawless suit. He put his briefcase on a chair. “Mike! Good to see you!”

“Did you eat?” Trevor asked. “I just made burgers, but I could--”

“No worries.” Jim dropped a kiss on his temple. “Had a sandwich at the office. I would kill for a glass of wine, though.”

Trevor grinned. “Coming right up. That Cab from the other night okay?

“Perfect.” Jim turned to Mike. “So, how’s work been treating you?”

“Mike just got a big new case,” Trevor answered for him. “He’s working with Harvey.” He placed a glass of red wine in front of Jim.

Jim sipped the wine and grinned at Mike over the top of the glass. “Oh, really?”

Mike squirmed and swallowed his latest mouthful. “Actually, I need to talk to guys about that. Not about Harvey,” he added quickly. He shook his head. “I mean, about the case.”

“Need some advice?” Jim asked.

“If you guys are going to talk shop, let’s go into the living room,” Trevor suggested. “More comfortable.”

They moved in to the other room. Trevor placed a fresh beer in front of Mike, and he took a few gulps nervously.

Jim sipped his wine. “So, what’s the deal with the case?”

“Well, it’s for the Tower.”

Trevor gave a low whistle. “Well, that’s impressive.”

“Well, that’s part of the reason I got assigned.”

“Let me guess.” Jim rolled his eyes. “They insisted everyone involved is a Sentinel or a Guide.”

“Yep,” Mike confirmed.

“Those insular bastards. It figures. But it’s still a good opportunity for you.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll have to see how this turns out. It could get ugly.” He took another gulp and steeled himself. “I have something I need to tell you guys.”

“Well, that sounds dire.”

“This case, well, it involves blackmail.”

Jim’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”

Mike took a deep breath, and pushed it out. “The Tower is being blackmailed for a million dollars by a former employee.”

“Yikes.” Trevor leaned forward in his seat. “What for?”

Mike pressed on. “It turns out this guy had recorded footage of bonding activities that happened at the Tower and is threatening to release it on the internet and, uh,” he cleared his throat, “youguysareonit.”

Jim stopped with his glass halfway to his lips. “What?”

“Um, yeah. There were nine couples, at least, that he recorded, and you guys are one of them.”

There was a pause, and then…

“Holy fuck,” Trevor summed up.

Jim set his glass down on the table. “So you are telling me someone recorded footage of our bonding and is threatening to put it on the internet.”

“Yes, unless they get a million dollars.”

There was a moment of silence and then…

“This is fucking ridiculous,” Jim exploded. He slammed his glass on the table, and was out of his seat and halfway across the room. “Fucking, fucking hell. How the fuck did this happen? And when were they going to tell us?” He turned back and paced across the floor. “Oh, that’s why you guys were hired, right. Have a third party break the news. That fucking figures.”

Mike had never seen Jim so upset.

He was still going on when Trevor jumped up and stood in front of him. He cupped his hands around Jim’s face and pressed his forehead to his. “Hey, hey, calm down, it’s okay. We’re okay.”

Jim subsided into mutters. He pressed his face into Trevor’s neck and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Other people watching us. It’s fucking wrong. I mean, how could--”

“It’s still ours. They can’t take anything from us.” He pressed his lips to Jim. “I love you. It doesn’t matter. I love you.”

They were wrapped up in each other. It was such a personal scene that Mike had to look away. He wondered if he should leave, discreetly show himself out. He went so far as to get to his feet before Jim and Trevor remembered he was there.

Jim sighed. “Okay, okay.” He kissed Trevor gently on the lips before pulling back. “Sorry. Mike. I’m sorry. I know this isn’t your fault. It’s just, the thought of other people seeing that…”

“Oh god.” Trevor turned to him, horrified. “You didn’t watch it, did you?”

“No, god, no,” Mike sputtered. “I mean, I was looking at the recordings with a woman who works for the Tower, but it was just to identify people. I recognized you guys right away, so there was no need. I would never --”

“No, we know that,” Jim cut off his rambling. He sat down, looked at his wine glass, and then muttered, “I need a whiskey.” He went to the small wet bar and poured himself one. He turned back to Mike. “So, what’s the plan for dealing with it? Has the letter been fingerprinted yet?”

“What? Oh, um, I am not sure yet. The Tower wants us to help the identified couples to reach a consensus on what to do. I think they’re going to schedule a meeting next week.”

Jim stared. “Oh, screw that. Consensus? No, that is not acceptable. The FBI is getting involved with this.”

“Um, they haven’t ruled that out, but I think they just…”

“Mike, I am on the DVD. I am FBI, therefore, they are already involved. You think for one minute I am going to let the Tower pay off these bastards? No way in hell. I want to meet with your boss. Tomorrow.”

Mike could only nod.

“Okay.” Jim downed the rest of the whiskey. “I am going to make some calls and clear my schedule for tomorrow.” He stalked towards his office.

Trevor finished his beer and got another one. He dropped down next to Mike on the couch. “Christ, what a mess.”

“Yes, I’m sorry about--”

“Mike, stop apologizing. None of this is your fault.”

“I know.” He glanced toward the office door. “I’ve never seen Jim that upset before.”

“Me either. But I don’t blame him. The whole thing, I mean, the thought of someone else watching and--”

“I know. It’s a massive invasion of privacy. I can’t imagine it”

“It’s not just that. I mean, our bonding experience. It wasn’t just sex. I mean we were there for days, and there was a lot of talking and well, cuddling as well.” Trevor sat back, “I never told you how Jim and I met, did I? You don’t know the whole story.”

“No, I mean, you fell off the face of the earth for like a month. I think I would have filed a police report if you hadn’t texted me when you did.”

“Yeah.” Trevor rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “Well, it was a crazy story. I wasn’t for sure you would believe it.” There was a pause. “I guess I might as well tell you now.”

“Trevor, you don’t have to--”

“No, I want to tell you. It might help you understand.” He sat forward. “Remember how I used to deal a bit, on the side.”

Mike’s eyebrows rose. “As I remember it, it was a little more than ‘on the side.’”

Trevor winced. “Well, yeah. Anyway, one day I was making a pick-up from my supplier. They operated out of this old warehouse over on Van Brunt Street. I had just turned over the cash when, out of nowhere, the place gets raided.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, I was freaking out. Tried to claim I wasn’t involved, but they handcuffed me and brought to me the DEA offices. So I am sitting there in this interrogation room, thinking I am about to go to prison. Guess who comes in to interrogate me?”

“It was Jim?” Mike guessed.

“Yup, he was doing a stint with the DEA back then. Anyway, he comes in. In hindsight, there was something off right away. The room felt strange all of a sudden, and there was a weird buzzing in my ears. At first, I just thought it was some kind of advanced interrogation technique.” Trevor shook his head.

”But anyway, Jim sits down and starts asking me questions, and I am sitting there trying to bullshit excuses, sweating through my shirt, practically. And Jim’s totally not buying it, you know. I could tell. And then we got to this point where I’m pretty sure he’s about to charge me, and then he just looks up at me, and our eyes met, and there was this weird like, thing, between us, and then next thing I know he’s got me slammed up against the wall with his hand on my throat and now I’m thinking, ‘Shit, forget about prison, this guy’s just going to kill me right here.’”

Mike leaned forward. “And then?”

“And then, he fucking kisses me. And part of my brain is like, ‘What the hell?’ but then the other part is like, ‘Jesus Christ, this is the best fucking kiss of my life.’ And it sort of devolves from there. Eventually one of the other guys comes in and asks Jim what the fuck is going on. And all he says is, ‘Call the Tower, we need a car.’”

“Holy shit.” Mike sank back into the couch. “So they took you to the Tower?”

“Yup. And they separated us right away. Made me wait in a room and the freaking Tower representation keep asking me the most inane questions. And I am sitting there getting more and more anxious. And it seems like hours until finally they ask me if I want to see Jim and if I know what bonding is and entails, and by that time I feel like I am about to vibrate out of my skin, so of course I say yes, and they lead me to this Suite. It was Suite Four, I remember that for some reason and I go in and he’s there, and it’s…” Trevor trailed off.

“Yeah,” Mike put in. “I can imagine.”

Trevor shook his head. “I don’t think you can. And,” he rushed on quickly, “I don’t mean that is some arrogant, condescending way. I mean, even now, I can barely imagine us acting the way we did when we didn’t even know each other. I mean, there was the sex, sure you can have sex with a stranger, but, there was, you know… cuddling and stuff. I mean, utterly ridiculous behavior. I think he was feeding me cubes of cheese at one point.”

Lyra had told him about the intense feelings that go along with an Impulse bonding, but it was different hearing his best friend recount his own experience. “Okay, sure, I see what you mean.”

“It was like… intimacy. Instant crazy sexual attraction and intimacy. I think that’s why Jim feels so betrayed. I think if it was just sex, some barroom hookup, it wouldn’t be that big a deal.”

Mike nodded.

Jim came back out. “I cleared some of my morning. I am going to be at your boss’s office tomorrow at 10. We’ll only need a few minutes.”

Mike nodded and stood. “He’ll be expecting you. I guess I will see you guys tomorrow.” He headed for the door.

“Mike?”

Mike turned back. Jim had his arm around Trevor.

“Thank you for coming and telling us yourself.”

Mike nodded. “Sure thing.” He went out the door and closed it behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning Mike was at work early. He wanted to catch Harvey first thing to inform him that Jim would be coming in.

He stopped by Donna’s desk at nine sharp. “Is he in?”

“He’s on the phone right now.” Donna gestured vaguely in the direction of the office.

“I need to talk to him. It’s about the Tower case.”

Donna sighed. “Go in, just keep quiet till he gets off the phone.”

Harvey’s eyebrows rose as Mike walked in, but he didn’t miss a beat with his conversation. Mike sat on the couch and waited for Harvey to be done.

Harvey finally hung up the phone. “I assume you have a good reason for being here?”

Mike cleared his throat. “I need to update you about the Tower case.”

“Have a fun afternoon yesterday?” Harvey grinned.

“Yeah, it was a barrel of laughs.”

“But you identified everyone involved?”

“Yes, but…” Mike hesitated. “We have a new wrinkle.”

Harvey rolled his eyes. “Oh god, what now?”

“One of the Sentinels involved is an FBI agent.”

“FBI? Well, I am sure he’s going to have some opinions about how to deal with this.” Harvey picked up a pen and made a notation on his blotter.

“Yes, he’s coming in to meet you at ten.”

Harvey dropped his pen and looked up at him. “He already knows? How is that?”

“I told him.”

“You told him,” Harvey repeated flatly.

“This couple, they’re my best friends. I had to be the one to tell them.”

“So you violated the NDA you signed?” Harvey sighed. “How did he take it?”

Mike scratched his forehead. “Not so good. I’ve actually never seen him that upset.”

“That bodes well.”

“His Guide got him calmed down. But he wants to talk to you about how the whole thing is being handled.”

Harvey sighed. “Okay, when he gets here, you can bring him to me. I don’t know how much else I am going to be able to tell him though. The Tower reps are keeping everything very close.”

“What about the NDA? Am I going to get in trouble?”

Harvey shook his head. “He was going to find out soon enough. I’ll smooth it over if there’s an issue.”

Mike sighed, relieved. “Thanks, Harvey.”

*^*   
Mike met Jim and Trevor in the lobby later that morning. Jim was dressed, as usual, in an immaculately tailored suit, and Trevor was in his informal IT uniform of khakis and polo shirt. On the way up to Harvey’s office, Mike gave them informal tour. Donna was unsurprised to see them when they arrived at her desk. She had probably been listening in on his and Harvey’s conversation earlier.

She smiled at Jim. “Mr. Specter just stepped out for a moment. Please go in and wait. Can I get you guys any coffee?”

Jim gave her a polished smile. “I think we are fine, thank you.”

Mike led them into the office and Jim took a seat on the couch. Trevor wandered around, examining the record collection and signed balls. “This guy a major sports fan or something?”

“He’s worked for most of them.”

“Wow. Michael Jordan? That’s pretty cool.”

Mike glanced out the glass doors and saw the Harvey was talking to Louis Litt in front of his office. “That’s Harvey,” he said, as he took the ball from Trevor’s hands and put it back. “The one in the gray suit.”

Trevor turned his attention away. “That’s him? Hmm. Not bad. He looks like he’d be right at home on Mad Men, but I can see why you’d go for him.”

Mike turned back to him, alarmed. “Trevor,” he said warningly.

“Trevor, don’t embarrass Mike in front of his boss.” Jim said mildly.

“Yes, I would appreciate that.” Mike gave Trevor a playful shove toward the couch. “Sit down.”

“Okay, okay.”

*^*

Harvey turned away from Louis and tried to reign in his impatience. Like this day wasn’t hard enough without Louis making one of his childish demands for attention.

“Mike came with your visitors,” Donna informed him.

Harvey scanned the people in his office. There was a man sitting on the couch in a rather nice suit. Gieves & Hawkes, if Harvey was not mistaken. He must be the FBI Sentinel. Then there was a guy in khakis and a polo who appeared to be arguing with Mike about something. Harvey steeled himself. He was not looking forward to dealing with a FBI Sentinel, who would no doubt start making demands, ordering people around and making Harvey’s job ten times harder.

Harvey opened the door and went inside. The man on the couch stood up as he went in. 

“Hi, Harvey Specter.” Harvey extended his hand. The Sentinel met his grip firmly.

“Jim Greene. And this is my partner, Trevor Evans.” Polo Shirt came forward and shook his hand as well. “It’s very nice to meet you. Rebecca Easton over at the Justice Department speaks very highly of you.”

Harvey raised his eyebrows. “You know Becky?”

Jim smiled. “We have had the occasion to work together a time or two. She said she knew you when you were in the District Attorney’s office.”

“Yes, we knew each other quite well.” Harvey wondered when exactly Jim had reached out to Becky for information about him. He glanced at Mike. “Well, shall we sit?” Everyone sat. “I appreciate you coming down here, but I am not going to be able to give you any new information. I haven’t even seen the letter yet. The Tower is holding everything very close.”

“I understand that. Mike told us as much. But since you are going to be the middleman in all this, I figured I should introduce myself sooner rather than later.”

Harvey nodded. “I suppose you have a definite idea of how we should proceed.”

Jim sat back in his chair. “We ‘proceed’ by doing what should have been done in the first place. There is no way in hell I’m going to let the Tower pay a blackmailer who is holding my bonding out as bait.”

“I understand.”

“I don’t think you do, but I appreciate it. When is your next meeting with the officials from the Tower?”

Harvey sighed. “Today at two. I assume you would like to attend as well.”

“Indeed.” Jim stood. “Well, we’ll leave you to the rest of your morning, then.”

“Thank you.” They shook hands again.

“So Mike,” Trevor piped up. “Why don’t you show me your desk?”

Mike and Trevor headed out the office doors, stopping for a moment to chat with Donna.

Harvey watched them go. “So I guess you know Mike pretty well.”

Jim smiled. “He’s a good kid. He’s had some bad breaks, you know. He lost his parents--”

“Yes, I know,” Harvey cut in. He didn’t want to discuss Mike’s tragic past.

Jim nodded. “He really loves this job. I know he has enjoyed working with you.”

“I’ve hardly worked with him at all.” Harvey had no idea why he was being so contrary. He softened it with “But everyone who has is always singing his praises.”

The other man smiled. “I wanted to have him work for us once he graduated. You got one over on me there.”

This pleased Harvey immensely for some reason. “I know a good thing when I see one.”

Jim arched an eyebrow. “Do you?” He followed Harvey’s gaze to Mike and then back to him. “You know you only have him until he decides to go to law school. I hope he’s being encouraged in that direction.”

Harvey felt his throat tighten. “Of course he is.”

The walked to the door. Harvey caught sight of Mike and Polo Shirt – Trevor laughing with Rachel Zane about something. “So you don’t mind?” The question burst out of him.

“Mind what?” Jim asked.

“Your Guide being so… close to another Sentinel.”

Jim blinked, genuinely puzzled. “Trevor and Mike?” He shook his head. “There’s never been anything between them. Mike was a good friend to Trevor when they were growing up. Even when Trevor wasn’t the best influence.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “Do you think all Sentinels are possessive bastards?”

“You can hardly deny that’s is the general impression.”

“But not an accurate one.”

Harvey went to open the door, Jim put his hand out and stopped it. “Let me guess. You heard the stories, the fantasy about being a Guide when you were very young, and right then and there you decided you want nothing to do with it.”

“I don’t see how--”

“And really, there’s nothing wrong with that. I mean, it’s not for everyone.” He glanced back at Mike. “But now you’re curious. I wonder why that is?” 

“I don’t know what you’re implying--”

“You know exactly what I am implying. Funny that you would deny it.” Jim opened the door. “Trevor, let’s go. Mike, we’ll see you this afternoon.”

Mike cheerfully said goodbye and then hurried back to Harvey’s office. “So, what did you think?”

“Your friend’s an interesting man.” Harvey said steadily.

“Jim? Yeah, he’s great.”

“Mmm-hmm.” 

Mike looked at him expectantly. “So is there anything else you need me to do?”

“No, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay.” Mike turned to leave.

“Mike,” Harvey called out just as he was about to push open the door.

Mike stopped. “Yeah?”

“Good work on the ID’s. And it was probably the right call to let your friend know yourself.”

Mike beamed. “Thanks.”

“And I want you in on the meeting this afternoon. Don’t be late.”

“Should we let the Tower know that the FBI is now involved?”

“They can find out at two.”


	11. Chapter 11

Mike spent the rest of the morning reviewing a set of corporate by laws and proofing a merger proposal. Finally, around quarter to two, he made his way up to Harvey’s office. Donna waved him inside.

Harvey looked up from his desk. “Your friend back yet?”

“He just texted that he is on his way. So what’s this meeting going to be about?”

Harvey sat back in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. “Now that we have the individuals involved, we need to officially let them know what’s going on. The Tower wants a meeting on Thursday evening. We decided to hold it on neutral ground, so they reserved a conference room at the Chilton Hotel.”

“Fancy.”

“Well, they can afford it.”

Mike sat forward. “Disclosing this information before we even have the drop date - doesn’t that give the word more chance to get out?”

Harvey shook his head. “The Tower wants to appear to be open. Best to tell those involved as soon as possible.” He sighed. “Besides, if this is as personal as they are claiming, I don’t think these folks are going to be telling people.” 

Mike nodded. “Um…” He hesitated to tell Harvey what he and Lyra had discovered about the bondings, but that information would probably come out today. “Also, all of the bondings recorded were something called ‘impulse bondings.’”

Harvey looked puzzled. “And what does that mean?”

“I guess, sometimes, when a Sentinel and Guide meet--”

“A very beautiful things happens?” Harvey guessed sarcastically.

Mike rolled his eyes. “There’s an immediate connection and need for… consummation.”

“You mean, these people meet, and need to have sex immediately?”

Mike nodded.

“Well, if that’s true, no wonder the Tower wants to keep a lid on this.” Harvey shook his head. “I thought the ‘need sedation during sex’ thing was bad. Now we have people jumping into lifelong commitments who just met.”

“Maybe that’s why he recorded it in the first place. He got off on it. Two people who hardly know each other having sex, just because they are compelled by instinct. That’s also why it would be so titillating if it got out that’s what happens during these bonding sessions.”

“Maybe. You a shrink now too?”

Mike laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not considering a career change.”

They were interrupted by the arrival of Jim.

Mike stood. “Hi, Jim.” They shook hands. “So Trevor didn’t want to come back?”

Jim laughed. “He got a text at lunch informing him someone opened a virus on the email server. He had to go back and help get it sorted out.” He shook Harvey’s hand. “Mr. Specter.”

“Harvey, please.” 

“The Tower reps are on their way up,” Donna’s voice piped in via the intercom.

Jim looked at Harvey. “Did you want me to explain?”

“I think I can handle the general introductions. You can take it from there if you want to lay down the law.”

Jim nodded.

Dr. Alcott and Ms. Davenport were ushered in by Donna. “Guide Specter, Sentinel Ross…” He stopped and looked at Jim. “I’m sorry, I hope we are not—“

“This is Jim Greene,” Harvey announced. “Sentinel Jim Greene. He’s is with the FBI.”

Dr. Alcott turned back to Jim. “Oh, Sentinel Greene… Yes, of course. I should have recognized you.”

“Not at all.” Jim shook his hand.

“This is Sentinel Maria Davenport--”

“Head of PR.” Jim shook her hand as well.

“Jim has become aware of our little problem,” Harvey explained. 

Dr. Alcott looked appalled. “Mr. Specter, we agreed we would not bring law enforcement into this matter until the appropriate parties had been notified.”

“That’s the problem.” Harvey gestured to Jim. “Mr. Greene is an appropriate party.”

Dr. Alcott swung his gaze back to Jim.

“My partner and I were bonded at your facility three years ago. In deference to my position, I was informed of the situation a few days early.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I hadn’t reviewed the names on the list yet.”

“Shall we sit?” Harvey suggested. They all sat.

Jim sat forward. “Let me be clear about this upfront, I am going to be conducting an investigation into this incident. I will be as discreet as I possibly can, but there is no way I am going to stand by and let this individual get away with this.”

Dr. Alcott and Ms. Davenport exchanged looks.

Finally, Dr. Alcott sighed. “Yes, I suppose it was somewhat inevitable.”

“It’s better this way,” Harvey stated. “This person could come back and demand more money at any time. An investigation is the only was to ensure the situation is resolved.”

“We’ll hold you to the promise of being discreet,” Ms. Davenport stated.

“As discreet as possible,” Jim corrected.

Mike turned to Jim. “Do you have any theories about the blackmailer?”

“A few. It seems probable that this person is not bonded themselves and perhaps envious about that. He or she is seeking to humiliate others who have what they don’t.”

“Maybe that, or perhaps a failed bonding experience?” Ms. Davenport suggested. “They are rare, but they do happen.”

Jim looked intrigued. “Do you have a record of failed bondings that took place at the Tower?”

She nodded. “There would only be a handful.”

“Well, we can get started cross-checking those people with those who had access to the footage.”

“I can have it sent over this afternoon.”

“And a list of current and past employees with access to the bonding suite footage.” Jim removed a card from his breast pocket and handed it to her.

“Now,” Dr. Alcott began nervously. “We can’t have a witch hunt going on.”

“As discreet as possible,” Jim emphasized. “But I am going to need to ask some questions.”

“We understand.” Ms. Davenport glanced at her colleague.

“Now, I would also like to look at the letter.”

She nodded. “It’s over at the Tower.”

“We need to check it for fingerprints.”

Dr. Alcott frowned. “I am afraid it was handled by multiple people before it was brought to me.”

“Then we’ll need to take elimination prints from those people as well. I’ll have a technician come by with a print kit this afternoon.”

Ms. Davenport sighed. “Very well.”

“Excellent. Now is there anything else that has come up?”

“No, we just need to finalize the details for meeting with the rest of the individuals next week.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.” Jim stood. “I am afraid I need to get back to the Bureau. I’ll be waiting for your email.” He shook hands with everyone again and strode out of the room.

“He’s in his element now,” Mike muttered to Harvey.

“I can see that,” Harvey replied. To the others he said, “Well, let’s get this sorted.”

*^*

Harvey had been grudgingly impressed by the way Jim Greene handled the Tower reps. He brooked no opposition, and he gave them no choice but to agree with his investigation. No wonder Mike admired the guy.

That night, Harvey stood on his balcony, looking over the city. He tried to summon up some of the satisfaction that he had felt when he bought this place. It was magnificent, a fitting summit after his ride to power from mail-room clerk to the best closer in New York City, but right now it just felt empty.

It had taken effort not to invite Mike out to dinner with him that night. Right now, even, his fingers itched to call him. Almost forty years of fighting against his nature, and now, here he was, practically infatuated with a damned Sentinel kid.

This couldn’t go on. After this ridiculous case was over, he’d get Mike some kind of law school scholarship. Maybe he could talk Jessica into funding Mike’s education. That would at least get him away in Boston for three years. Or Harvey could get him a higher paying job with someone else. The sooner Mike was far out of his reach, the better off they both would be.

*^*

The meeting on Thursday went about as well as Harvey could have expected it too. He stood at the front of the room while the various Sentinels and Guides who were sitting around enjoying the coffee and snacks that the Chilton had provided. He gave a brief summary of the situation and waited…

The room exploded into shouts. One woman actually burst into tears.

But once the anger had flared, it seemed to quickly dissipate as well. It had been a good call, Harvey noted, to do this as a group. There was anger, but this shared violation also seemed to foster a feeling of camaraderie. The group soon had broken up into smaller groups and were chatting, some forcibly, some amiably. Jim Greene had briefly fielded some questions about the investigation, but stressed that the case was ongoing, and most details couldn’t be released at the time.

Mike and Harvey wandered around the room separately, answering questions, but mostly just repeating that they didn’t have any information on the ongoing FBI investigation, and yes, everyone would be kept informed of new developments.

“Mr. Specter.” Harvey’s name was called by someone in the back of the room. It was a young woman seated in the chair. She was very pretty, with dark eyes and long dark hair. She had the rounded stomach of someone who is about six months pregnant.

“Hello.” Harvey smiled. “Are you comfortable?” He asked. “Can I get you anything?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Thank you. My name is Lila Parker. I just wanted to thank both you and your Sentinel for your discretion in this matter.”

“My…” Something in Harvey‘s stomach twisted. “Oh, Mike. He’s not mine.”

Lila flushed. “Oh, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to imply”

“We just work together.”

“I’m sorry. I just assumed that you must have been bonded as well. Since they had you make the announcement to us.”

Harvey shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Mike and I just work together.”

She smiled. “Well, I hope this whole experience hasn’t given you the wrong impression. I can see how it could put someone off the idea.”

“I have no intention of bonding,” Harvey said simply. “But then I never have. So this case hasn’t changed my opinion at all.”

“Before it happened to me, I don’t think I wanted to either. But I certainly can’t regret it now.” She rubbed her stomach fondly

One of the other Guides, a petite woman with red hair joined them. “Lila, how are you feeling? This hasn’t been too upsetting for you, I hope.”

Lila shook her head. “No, I’m quite sanguine about the whole thing. Poor Luke though,” She glanced at a tall man across the room who was gesturing empathically at something. “I think he’s upset enough for both of us.”

“I thought Bobby was going to freak out as well.” Alex glanced at Harvey. “This is a thankless job for you.”

“I was just telling Mr. Specter that I hope this experience hasn’t frightened him off any prospective bonding.”

“Oh,” Alex looked at him confused. “I’m sorry. I thought he was you Sentinel.” She glanced over at Mike.

“I thought the same thing,” Lila laughed.

Harvey resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “No,” he said through his teeth. “He’s not mine.”

Alex smiled. “And I was thinking how nice it was that you could work together. I wonder how Sentinels and Guides who work apart manage it all the time. I just assumed you had met through work.”

Harvey forced a smile onto his face. “Mike and I actually met at a Tower mixer. He came to work for me afterwards.”

“Oh, Luke and I met at one as well.” Lila beamed. “Alex, how did you and Bobby meet? I seem to remember it was an interesting story.”

“Interesting in that he nearly killed me.” Alex laughed. “I was running late and tried to cross the street against the traffic. He nearly hit me with that stupid car of his. I’ve wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t been late that morning. Would we have never met?” She shook her head. “It doesn’t bear thinking about.”

Harvey wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t met Mike at that mixer. Of course, he and Mike weren’t actually together. He didn’t want that though.

“It’s strange,” Harvey said to Mike once everyone had left. “Talking to the other Guides, despite the threat of this being exposed, they don’t seem to regret the experience at all.”

“Trevor said his bonding was the most important experience of his life. I guess you can’t regret something like that.” Mike was tossing some paper plates and cups into the trash.

“The cleaning staff will take care of that.”

Mike shrugged. “It’s no problem.”

“So, do you want to be bonded?”

Mike looked up at him, surprised. “I don’t know.” He shrugged.

“You seem like the type of person who would. Want the picket fence and everything.”

“You can have that without being bonded.”

“So you don’t buy into the whole bonding fantasy either?”

“It’s not that. I mean, Trevor and Jim are bonded and they’re blissfully happy. Look at all the couples here today. Like you said, none of them regret it.” He picked up his messenger bag. “But, on the other hand, not everyone can bond, and plenty of Sentinels and Guides get married to normal people and have perfectly happy lives. So I don’t know. I’m open to it, but if it never happens, that’s fine too.”

Harvey thought about that as he followed Mike out of the room. He thought back to that day in the town car. He and Mike had been on the verge of bonding. He was sure of that. So they clearly both possessed the capacity for bonding, whatever it was.

As they got in the elevator, Mike shot him a smile. “Why all the curiosity all of a sudden? When we met, you were clear about your non-interest.”

“No, you’re right. I never wanted to bond.” The word ‘before’ remained unspoken on Harvey’s lips.


	12. Chapter 12

The New York Botanical Garden was one of Mike’s favorite places in the city. Amid the animals and birds, exotic plants, fountains and gurgling streams, it was the perfect place to exercise his senses and calm his mind. Saturday morning, he sat cross-legged under an oak tree and relaxed. He took a deep breath, placed his hands on knees, and closed his eyes.

Sight.

He opened his eyes. Noted the brilliant colors of the flowers that surrounded him, as well as the deep green of the grass. Stretching his vision further, he analyzed the colors in the nearby stream; the blues, the greens, the browns. He looked up into the branches of the tree, watching for a moment two squirrels who were play fighting, leaping from limb to limb.

Sound.

Mike closed his eyes again and concentrated on his hearing. Birdsong and the chattering of the squirrels from just above him. The gentle hum of bees as they buzzed from flower to flower. There was the burbling of the stream and the crunch of gravel from the people walking on the path. He pushed deeper. He heard insects crawling and the earthworms squirming in the soil.

Scent.

He inhaled deeply. Fresh cut grass, and the scent of the hyacinth and honeysuckle from the gardens nearest him. Lovely. He enjoyed it for a second and then pushed his senses deeper. This time he caught the deep scent of the soil and the slight tang of fertilizer.

Taste.

He opened his mouth. He could taste the granules of pollen as he breathed in. He concentrated on the taste; intense, powdery, floral, a bit chalky and slightly sweet.

Touch.

He leaned back, and felt the bark of the tree through his shirt. The ground was still soft under him from the recent rain. He reached out and raked the grass with his fingers.

Mike slumped back. It had been a while since he had taken the time to do this. To actively engage his senses, rather than using them passively. Mike sighed to himself. 

There was so much he had been neglecting lately. His friendships, Grammy. All of it was being sacrificed for this job. That had to change.

He sat back and began to cycle back through his senses again. It would be easier if he had a Guide to help him through this. He didn’t dare deepen his senses too much, on the off chance it would send him into a zone. It would be nice to have a Guide sitting with him, either holding his hands or sitting behind him, letting that blanket of empathy protect him as his senses sharpened and--

“Mike.”

Startled, Mike opened his eyes and found Harvey standing in front of him. He blinked. “What – what’s going on?” he finally managed.

Harvey was staring at him. It took him a moment to respond. “I got a call from the Tower. They received another letter in today’s mail. We need to get over there now.”

Mike stood, and began to brush off his pants. “Oh, okay.” He began to follow Harvey out of the park. “How did you know where to find me?”

Harvey shot him a look. “When you didn’t answer your phone, I called Jim Greene to let him know. He said this is the only place he knew of where you turned off your phone.”

Huh. That made sense, he guessed. Jim had actually been the first one to bring him here. Mike wondered how long Harvey had been wandering the pathways looking for him.

“Are we taking your car?” he asked, hurrying to keep up.

Harvey glanced back at him. “Your bike won’t fit in it. Plus you have to change. Go home, and I’ll pick you up in… an hour?”

Mike nodded. “Okay, sounds good. Thanks.”

Harvey didn’t answer. He just headed off in a different direction. Mike pedaled home as fast as he could, jumped in the shower and was just managing to put on a clean suit when there was a knock on the door.

“Nice place,” Harvey said when the door was opened. He slouched against the doorframe. “How long has it been condemned?”

“Ha ha,” Mike replied. He grabbed his messenger bag off the floor. “You didn’t have to come up. I’m ready.”

“Let’s go then.”

Mike was becoming rather familiar with the Tower by now. The place was still a bustle of activity, even on a Saturday. They were ushered into one of the executive conference rooms on the 45th floor. There was a sleek marble-topped table in the center of the room. Mike and Harvey took seats in the plush leathers chairs that surrounded it.

Dr. Alcott rushed in. “Ah, Guide Specter, Sentinel Ross. I am so glad you are here. Sentinel Greene from the FBI is also on his way. Can the secretary get either of you any coffee or tea?”

“No thank you.” Harvey replied.

“The letter was just received this morning, I-- oh, Sentinel Green, very nice to see you.” He shook Jim’s hand as he came in.

“You have received the drop demand?”

Dr. Alcott opened the file he was carrying. “Yes, they requested an envelope containing the bearer bonds be delivered to the Sunshine Café in Central Park on Wednesday at eleven a.m.” He glanced up at them. “The letter is very specific. Sentinel Ross is to make the drop.”

“What? Mike?” Harvey was astonished.

Jim was speaking at the same time. “Is that the exact wording? ‘Sentinel Ross’?”

Dr. Alcott handed the letter to him.

“Put it on the table, please,” Jim instructed.

Alcott did. Jim pulled a pair of latex gloves out of his pocket and pulled them on. Then, extending one finger, he drew the letter towards himself.

“How many people have touched this?” he asked tersely.

“Just the secretary and myself.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to get fingerprints?” Mike asked.

“Doubtful.” Jim replied. “But we’ll check just in case.”

Harvey was still incensed. “How the hell did they know Mike was even involved with this case?”

“That’s a good question,” Jim murmured. “Mike came here last week; they could be watching, have surveillance set up. Or,” he turned to Alcott. “It’s possible whoever is doing this still works for the Tower, or is close to someone who does.” 

Dr. Alcott bristled. “There is no way one of my current people is involved.”

“While I appreciate your loyalty to your staff, Doctor, we need to face facts. Who knows Mike is involved?”

Dr. Alcott hesitated.

“You can tell us, or I can open an investigation into all of your staff.”

“Sentinel Maria Davenport, Sentinel Thomas Parrow, Guide Lyra Evans, Guide Elizabeth Monroe and myself.

Jim’s eyebrows rose. “And that’s it? Just those five people?”

“Yes.”

“Could these people have told their partners or families?”

“They understood the need to keep this information close.”

“What about the couples we met with last week? They could have mentioned something to someone.” Harvey looked at Mike. “You were chatting with quite a few of them.”

Mike was puzzled. “But why would they talk to someone about this?”

“I’m not saying they did it deliberately. They might just have mentioned something in passing. Someone they knew from the Tower in the past. Someone they trusted.”

Jim sighed. “Yes, they will have to be contacted as well.” He shook his head. “We know that either a current or former employee of the Tower has to be involved someone.  
Someone who was in charge of monitoring the bonding suites from 2006 to 2010. Do you have a list of employees?”

“Yes, here.” Dr. Alcott produced a list.

“Now we need to cross check this list with the people at the meeting last week.” Jim pinched the bridge of his nose. “In a way, this request for Mike could actually help us. First solid lead.”

“I don’t like it.” Harvey said. “I don’t like that they’re focused on him. Why him?”

Jim looked over appraisingly. “He’s a Sentinel. We’ve theorized this person had a failed bonding. Maybe he’s a Guide, and he’s getting off on being able to order Sentinels around.”

“But if that’s it, why not you?”

Jim blinked. “What?”

“You’re an FBI agent, leading this investigation. If he gets off ordering Sentinels around, you would think he request you make the drop yourself.”

Jim cocked his head. “Good point. But, I am an FBI agent. Trained in weapons and tactics. He might think he has a better chance with a novice.”

Harvey didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Well, Mike can’t make the drop.”

“What? Why not?” Mike burst out.

“It’s too dangerous, Mike.”

Jim tapped a finger to his lips. “This person is a blackmailer. They are not normally prone to violence. And he’s requested a drop in a public place. It doesn’t read as that dangerous.”

“I don’t care how you read it. It’s an unnecessary risk.”

“Harvey, its fine. I can do it.”

“I don’t want you to do it.”

“Well, it’s my choice, isn’t it?” Mike glared back at him. “I’m going to do it.”

“Okay, guys,” Jim cut in. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He turned to Dr. Alcott. “How long to you need to get the payment together?”

“We have it now.”

Jim blinked. “You have a million dollars in Bearer Bonds in the building currently?”

“Yes, of course. There is a Leviathan safe on the 30th floor. We find it prudent to keep a significant amount of negotiable government securities there for emergency purposes.” 

“Some emergency,” Mike muttered.

Jim turned back to the letter. “The drop is on Wednesday in the park. Sunshine Café. The instructions are very specific. We are to put the bonds in a plain manila envelope with no markings on it. Mike is to sit at an inside table away from the window and leave the envelope in plain view in front of him. Someone will drop a bag containing all of the recorded footage on the table, and then Mike is to take it, leave the envelope and then exit the building through the back door.”

“So, he’s just going to drop it on the table? Isn’t he afraid I am going to see him?”

“He’ll probably be wearing a disguise, or he could even pay someone to make the pick-up for him.”

“So you won’t be able to arrest him at the café?”

“No, we’ll have several surveillance teams outside to follow him.”

“How will you know who to follow? “

“Mike will be wired for sound. He can give us a description after the pick-up is made.”

“I don’t like the idea of Mike wearing a wire,” Harvey stated flatly. “Someone might see it.”

“It will be very discreet,” Jim promised.

“I don’t like the idea of all of these outsiders being involved,” Dr. Alcott said worriedly.

“Well, I am afraid you have no choice in the matter,” Jim said pointedly. “But, it may not come to this. We need to do interviews. With any luck we can track down this guy before it comes to that.”

“And who’s going to be doing these interviews?”

“I will,” Jim said. “And I’ll do them by myself. Easier that way.”

“No.” Everyone turned to look at Harvey. “I want to be in on them as well. I may not be a trained FBI agent, but I am pretty good at reading people.”

“Okay,” Jim conceded. “We can start this afternoon.”


	13. Chapter 13

After a series of grueling interviews, Tuesday afternoon brought their first real lead. Harvey made his way back to Pearson Hardman around two and called Mike up to his office.

Mike bounded in with his usual energy. “Any developments?” he asked.

Harvey sighed. “Your friend and I spent hours talking to people who worked at the Tower. No one in particular jumps out.”

Mike nodded.

“But we did come upon a promising lead. We did follow up calls with those couples at the meeting.” Harvey pulled a piece of paper out of his briefcase. “One Sentinel, with the rather unfortunate name of Leeland Schechter, and his Guide, Persephone Miller mentioned that that day after the meeting at the Chilton, they had been at the Tower to update some of their paperwork.”

“I remember them.” They were one of the odder couples he had ever seen. Leland was an odd, tall gangly looking guy. He was some kind of chemist, and had spent most of the meeting doodling equations on a napkin. Persephone, however, was a total knock-out. She was model-pretty; tall, slim, with flowing blond hair and bright green eyes. 

Harvey looked up at Mike. “Well, they remembered you as well. They were filing some paperwork at the Tower, and were advised to have new wills drawn up. Persephone apparently suggested that they use ‘Mike, that Sentinel lawyer from Pearson Hardman.’ She admitted she had said this in front of several people in the Admin office.”

“So you think the blackmailer is someone who works there? That’s how he got my name?”

Harvey sighed. “Maybe. There were several other people in the office at the same time. It could be one of them as well. It’s likely they would have recognized her.”

“Yes, she is… memorable.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have enough time to run everyone down before the drop tomorrow.”

“So the Tower is going ahead with it?”

“Yes.” Harvey looked up at Mike. “You sure you’re up to this?”

“Of course. Jim doesn’t think this guy is going to be dangerous.”

“Mike, you’re going to have a million dollars on you,” Harvey retorted. “That makes everybody dangerous… Your friend Jim’s opinion notwithstanding.”

Mike smiled. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Harvey’s gut twisted unpleasantly. “We’ll see.”

*^*

Harvey went with Mike to the Tower the next morning. He watched as a FBI technician taped a wire to Mike’s bare chest. The kid was too skinny, Harvey thought distractedly. He could count his ribs.

After the wire was secured, a slim line battery pack was clipped to the inside of the back of his pants. Mike pulled on an undershirt.

“Okay, and now this.” 

“A bulletproof vest?” Mike picked it up. “Wow, it’s kind of heavy.”

The technician grinned at him. “They’re a lot lighter than they used to be.”

After it was strapped on, Mike began to button up his shirt. “Too bad I don’t have any three piece suits,” Mike said to Harvey. “That would help covering this up.”

Harvey walked up to Mike and looped the tie around his neck. He could feel Mike’s eyes on him as he concentrated on tying the tie; an actual full Windsor. He wanted to see a proper knot at Mike’s throat for once. He tugged gently on the knot, and he lifted his gaze and met Mike’s and he smoothed the tie down.

“There you go,” he said softly.

“Thanks.” Mike wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Harvey stepped back. “You should button up your jacket.”

Mike nodded.

Jim entered the room, breaking the moment. “All set, Mike?”

“Was the vest really necessary?” Mike asked him.

“We don’t need to take any chances,” Jim explained. “I’d like to give you an earpiece as well, but I am afraid it will be too noticeable. There will be two other agents in the café, In fact, one is already there now, and the other will follow you in and go right to the counter. They’ll be your backup.”

“Will they have earpieces?”

“Yes, Jenna has long hair which can hide it, and Bill will be wearing headphones.”

“Here’s the envelope.” He put a heavy manila envelope in Mike’s hands. “You have to carry it. The letter said no bag.”

“Wow.” Mike’s fingers tightened around the envelope. “I can’t believe I am actually holding a million dollars.”

“Are you ready?”

Mike took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

Harvey wasn’t. He bit down on the inside of his cheek.

“Now, Mike. I’ll be in the van here.” Jim spread out a map over the table. “It’s only about four minutes from the café. So I’ll be right there if anything happens.”

“I will be in the van as well,” Harvey announced.

“Um,” Jim hesitated. “There’s not a lot of room, and--”

“I am going to be in the van,” Harvey repeated. “There is no way I am sitting in the office waiting to hear how this turns out.”

Jim must have seen that he wasn’t going to back down. “Okay, let’s go.”

*^*

Harvey squinted at the blurry screens. The FBI had tapped into the café’s security feed, but the video quality was not good. He could barely tell that the figure sitting in the back of the room was Mike.

“A guy just came in, beard and sunglasses,” Mike voice came off the feed. “Oh wait, he went to the counter.”

Harvey turned away from the monitors. Their blackmailer was fifteen minutes late. It was ridiculously hot in the van and there was sweat dripping down his shoulder blades.

“Sunglasses guy coming this way,” Mike reported, his voice barely a whisper. “He’s carrying a large paper bag.”

Suddenly, there was a loud bang. Harvey spun around to see all the cameras had turned to gray fuzz. His heart stopped.

Jim was barking into the walkie-talkie. “What was that? Report… Can anyone here me?”

Harvey had already opened up the back of the van and was running to the café. 

Jim caught up with him after a few steps and grabbed his arm. “You can’t go in there. We need to secure the perimeter--”

“Mike’s in there,” Harvey snarled. “You are not keeping me out of there.”

“There could be a secondary explosion.” Jim tried.

Harvey didn’t care. He pulled away from Jim. If anything had happened to Mike, he thought he would rather been blown up. He was such an idiot. He had been such a fool, keeping Mike at arm’s length. Pushing Mike away. It was the biggest mistake of his life.

Thick smoke was billowing out the doors, along with people, stumbling, coughing and covering their eyes. Harvey waited, but Mike did not emerge. Harvey pushed his way through the doors.

“Mike, Mike!”

There was no answer. Harvey stumbled towards the back of the building when suddenly his foot made contact with something on the floor. Harvey was suddenly blind to everything but the too-slender body lying next to his foot. “Mike!” The eyes were wide, and staring, but his skin was still warm. Harvey fumbled for his pulse. It was there, that strong steady beat. He pulled Mike into a fireman’s carry and brought him outside. He laid Mike on the grass.

Jim hurried over to them.

“He’s in a zone. Call the paramedics.”

“They’re already on the way. I can call Trevor, he’s had success in the past--”

“No, no one else is going to touch him.” Harvey pulled Mike’s stiff body into his arms. Mike was his. His Sentinel, and Harvey was his Guide.

“Okay, okay,” Jim placated. “Just keep him here until the ambulance comes. They will get you to the Tower.” He stood up. “I need to check on the rest of my people.” 

Harvey nodded. He brushed his hand over Mike’s hair.

“You’re going to be okay, Mike,” he whispered. “I promise.”


	14. Chapter 14

Mike was floating, drifting in space. He flitted hazily from memory to memory; Gram’s cooking, his mother reading to him before bed, his father’s laugh. He was smiling idly at a memory of him throwing a ball back and forth in the park with his little brother when he remembered that he didn’t have a younger brother.

His brow furrowed and slowly, he opened his eyes. He found Harvey’s brown eyes staring back at him.

“Wha—What’s going on?” He asked, confused. “Where are we?”

“At the Tower,” Harvey answered. “In one of their Quiet Rooms.”

“Oh god, did I zone?” Mike groaned. He ducked his head, butting it into Harvey’s shoulder. “What happened with the drop?”

“The blackmailers used something called a flash-bang grenade. It produces a blindingly bright light and a loud noise. It sent you and the other Sentinel in the shop right into a zone.”

Mike closed his eyes. “So he got away?”

“Not quite. Remember how Jim was going to have surveillance outside? Thanks to your description, they were able to follow the guy.”

“Did they get him?”

“I haven’t heard yet. That’s all I got by the time we got here.”

Mike brought a hand up and rubbed his eyes. “So you brought me out of the zone?”

“Well, I didn’t yank you out like last time. I just connected and let you drift out on your own.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course I did.”

Harvey was staring at him very intently. Mike felt strange, a bit uncomfortable. “Okay, well, I guess I am ready to go now.” He pulled away from Harvey and sat up.

“You can rest a little longer, Mike.”

“No, no I’m fine.” He looked down. “Who undressed me?” he asked. He was bare-chested, and his socks and shoes were also missing.

“I thought you should be comfortable.”

Harvey had undressed him? At the thought of Harvey taking off his clothes while he was zoned, Mike’s stomach tightened. He pulled his shirt on and began to button it. Harvey was just in his undershirt and pants as well.

Harvey just sat on the bed and watched him, patiently. “We should have one of the physicians come and check you out.”

Mike shook his head. “No way. I’m fine.”

Harvey pulled on his own shirt and shoes and followed him out of the room.

Once in the hallway, Mike spotted a familiar face in the waiting area. Trevor was reading something on his phone. He jumped up once he saw them. Mike rushed over to him, Harvey close behind.

“Mike! Hey, man, how are you doing?”

“Okay – what’s going on with the case?”

“The guy rode around the city for like three hours. He even changed clothes once in Union Station. But since Jim’s team was using three separate people for surveillance, he didn’t spot them. Finally he went to some apartment in the Bronx. Jim said the plan was to wait, see if he was meeting up with a partner. If there is no action soon, they’re going to go in.”

“So what’s next?”

“We wait.” Trevor shrugged. “Why don’t you come to our place? We can wait for the word there.”

Mike glanced at Harvey, unsure. “Um...”

“Sound’s good,” Harvey interjected. “Let’s get a cab.”

Trevor looked surprised.

“What, was I not included? You didn’t expect me to wait by the phone, did you?”

Trevor shook his head. “No, not at all. Let’s go.”

*^*

Trevor and Mike sat on the couch with the TV blaring, while Harvey prowled around the apartment. It was a nice apartment on Central Park West. The view of the park was admittedly nice, thought Harvey privately thought his was superior.

Finally, Trevor suggested they order a pizza.

“Cheese in the crust?” Trevor asked. “It’s Mike’s favorite,” he explained as Harvey rolled his eyes.

Harvey shook his head, clearly disappointed in Mike’s plebian tastes.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Mike said. “Rachel tried to expand my palate too. It didn’t work.”

“Rachel? That hot girl from your office?” Trevor asked.

“Yeah.”

“Dude, you should have let her keep trying.”

Harvey’s mouth tightened unhappily.

The pizza was long gone, and Mike was wondering if maybe they should just head out when Jim finally came in. Everyone jumped to their feet.

“So did you get the guy?” Mike asked.

Jim smiled. “The suspect was tailed to an apartment in Brooklyn. After about an hour, a second subject, identity unknown at this point, also went in. We got a warrant, went in, recovered the bearer bonds and arrested them both. Right now, some of our computer techs are going through the entire apartment, and all the computer files. Hopefully, we manage to locate and destroy all the copies of the footage.”

“Did anyone confess?” Harvey asked.

Jim shook his head. “They both asked for lawyers right away. Shouldn’t make much of a difference, since we caught them red handed.”

Mike sat back and sighed. “Well, that is done then, hopefully.” He looked over at Harvey and smiled. “So you won’t have to have me bugging you all the time after this.”

Harvey didn’t answer.

Jim proposed a celebratory drink, pulling out what like a very expensive bottle of single malt Scotch for Harvey's approval. One drink turned into three. It was getting late, but Jim kept them entertained with stories of similar cases he'd had.

“He’s always like this after a case,” Trevor confided to Mike in a whisper. “If I don’t get him into bed soon, he’ll be up half the night.”

Mike grinned and glanced at Harvey. “We better get going then.”

Harvey seemed to read his mind, and they both stood and said their goodnights.

Harvey seemed preoccupied as they rode the elevator down to the main floor. In the lobby, he said, “You know, if you don’t want to go all the way back to Brooklyn, you could spend the night at my place. I only live a few blocks away.”

“Um, really… Thanks for the offer. But I am going to need a new suit for tomorrow anyway, and--”

“You don’t need to go in tomorrow. You participated in an FBI operation today. That’s more than reason enough to take the day off.”

Okay, but that was even more reason for him to just go home now, Mike thought. “No, thanks again. I am just going to catch a cab.”

Harvey sighed, resigned. “Alright, have a good night.” He paused for a moment. “You have done excellent work in this case, Mike.”

“Thanks, Harvey.”

*^*

 

The next morning, Mike decided to go to work, anyway. There was no point in sitting at home, doing nothing. It was around ten when his phone rang.

“I thought so,” Donna sighed into his ear. “He said you’d probably come in despite being told not to. Since you’re here, you might as well come up. He wants to see you.”

Mike locked his computer and headed up to the forty-fifth floor.

Jeff had apparently been returned. He was in Harvey’s office apparently receiving his new assignments.

He rolled his eyes at Mike as he brushed past him.

“You wanted to see me?”

Harvey straightened the stack of papers on his desk. “I just got off the phone with Jim. Both suspects copped pleas this morning. Full admittance of guilt.”

Mike sat in the chair. “So who were they? Any word on motive?”

Harvey gave him a look. “Well, money was the motive for the blackmail, but it seems the whole recording idea was cooked up by a low-level guide who worked in the registry office. Peter Stevenson. He must have been the one that gave your name.”

“Stevenson was told that he probably would never be able to bond naturally. This offended him, and he set out to do “research” on how to chemically induce bondings. I guess he thought analyzing footage of impulse bonding would help, somehow.”

Mike wrinkled his nose. “Really?” The whole idea sounded distasteful to him.

“Apparently it’s not a new idea. There is a theory that certain drugs could be used in forcing a bond.”

“Ugh.”

“Yes, he was also apparently stealing sheets from the bonding suites and analyzing the… uh, chemical residue.”

Mike shuddered at that thought. “So he was the one behind the whole thing?”

“The blackmail idea actually came from his roommate. Stevenson apparently agreed so he would have more money for his research.”

Mike pondered this for a moment. “You know, it’s kind of sad. He was driven to do this just because of his desire for a bond.”

“He still chose to break the law, and violate how many people’s privacy.” Harvey sighed. “And as you said, plenty of Sentinels and Guides never bond, and have perfectly happy lives.”

Mike nodded. “So it’s all over.”

“Expect for the screaming. They are still negotiating the sentences.”

Mike stood. “Well, thanks for the update.”

“Hold up. We’re not done.” Harvey handed him an envelope. “This is for you.”

Mike took it and opened it. His eyebrows shot up. “Whoa.”

“It’s a bonus for your work on this case.”

“This is very generous.”

“Well, you did have to meet with a blackmailer and wound up at the wrong end of a stun grenade.”

“All in a day’s work.” Mike grinned at him. “Well, thank you very much.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s from the firm.”

Mike gave him a mock salute. He turned to leave when Harvey’s voice called out to him.

“Would you like to have dinner on Saturday?”

Mike stopped. He couldn’t have heard that correctly. He turned around. “What?”

Harvey sighed. “Dinner, Saturday.”

Mike waited a beat. “Oh, is this another thank you?”

“No.”

“Is it for a case or something?”

“No,” Harvey said. “As a date.”

Mike blinked. “What?” he asked again after a moment’s pause.

“I am asking you to dinner with me.”

“As a date?” Mike repeated weakly.

“Mike,” Harvey sighed.

“You want to date me? Why?”

“You want me to spell out the reasons I want to see you? Do you normally require people you date to prepare an essay?”

“No, but normally those people aren’t asking out of the blue.”

“We’ve been working together. I’ve decided I would like to pursue a romantic relationship with you. I am asking if you are agreeable to that.”

“Why now?”

“Mike, if you don’t want to--”

“I’m not saying that I do want to. I do…”

Harvey relaxed visibly.

“But I am a little taken aback as to why now.”

“Well, come to dinner with me and you’ll find out on Saturday.”

Mike nodded. “Okay.”

“Good, I’ll pick you up at seven.” Then he handed Mike a file. “I need these by-laws proofed by this afternoon.”

Mike gave him a small smile, turned and left.

“Well, that went well,” Donna’s voice floated through the intercom.

“He said yes, didn’t he?”

“Harvey, that barely qualified as a ‘yes.’”

“So, I’ll win him over. I’m the best closer in the city. I can close him.”

“So should I call up the car club and reserve you the Telsa?”

Harvey considered. “You don’t think that’s a little much for the first date?”

“Trying to go low key?”

“Make a reservation at La Bernardin.”

“Oh yeah, that’s low key. Harvey--” Donna got up and walked into the office.

“You think I’m going to scare him off?”

“Not on purpose, but he’s a little skittish. Why don’t you let me take care of the arrangements? You do trust me, don’t you?”

Harvey considered. He hadn’t really thought about what they would do. He just wanted to be with Mike, to spend time with him. He had already wasted so much time. He looked up at Donna. She might have a better idea of what Mike would like. “Fine.”


	15. Chapter 15

“Trevor? It’s Mike. I need to talk to you guys.” He banged on the door. “The doorman said you were in. I really need to talk.”

There was a long pause before Trevor pulled the door open. “Mike, what’s wrong?”

Mike looked his friend over. His cheeks were flushed, his lips were suspiciously shiny, and his tee shirt was rumpled, as if he had just pulled it on. Mike suppressed a groan. He should have called first.

“Oh, god. I’m interrupting something. Sorry, I’ll leave you alone--”

Trevor reached out and grabbed his arm. “Hey, wait a minute. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing. Never mind.” Mike tried to pull away, but Trevor tightened his grip, and dragged Mike into the apartment. Jim’s shirt was also suspiciously rumpled, and he was picking up throw pillows that normally resided on the couch from the floor. Mike flushed, embarrassed and at the same time he felt a quiver of envy in his gut. He wanted that, someone he could be so comfortable with they could casually make out with on their couch on a Saturday afternoon.

“So what’s going on?” Trevor dropped down on the couch and stared up at him.

“I have a date tonight.”

Both Trevor and Jim seemed lost. “Okay, that’s great…” Trevor began.

“It’s with Harvey.”

More silence.

“Okay, so…”

“Come on, Trevor. You met him.”

“I did.”

“We both met him,” Jim added with a smile. He leaned back on the couch and wrapped his arm around Trevor’s shoulder. “So why the freak-out?”

“I don’t know what I am doing. Why do you think he asked me out?”

Jim and Trevor glanced at each other. “Probably for the usual reasons,” Trevor volunteered

“But he’s been so weird. He would barely speak to me for weeks and now all of a sudden he’s all, ‘let’s pursue a romantic relationship.’ What is so funny?”

They were both trying to conceal smiles... and failing.

Jim cleared his throat. “Mike, I don’t think this is surprising to anyone but you. I think we could all sense that there was something going on between you.”

“Yeah,” Trevor added. “He offered you a job after knowing you for what, an hour? Plus, he pulled you out of a zone twice.”

“Just because he was there with me.” Mike rolled his eyes. “And you’ve pulled me out of a zone before, too. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Jim shook his head. “You should have seen him at the café. He wouldn’t let anyone else near you.”

Trevor sat forward. “Mike, are you not attracted to him? Because if that’s the case, you just need to be straight with him.”

Mike shook his head. “It’s not that.”

“Of course it’s not that.” Trevor laughed. “I knew you were into this guy from the minute you told me about him.”

“He’s a brilliant lawyer.”

“And you’re a brilliant paralegal, who is headed to law school. Right?” Jim asked.

“Yeah, but…” Mike slumped down into a chair. “He’s incredibly successful.”

“So you think this guy is out of your league, that’s it?”

“I just don’t know how I am going to hold his interest.”

“Mike, that’s bullshit and you know it. You’ve already held his interest for all the months you’ve worked together.”

Mike had no response to this.

“So, where are you going?” Trevor asked.

Mike shrugged. “I don’t know. Originally he said seven, but he texted me yesterday and changed it to six.”

“Did he tell you what to wear?”

“I asked. He said casual.”

“It’s a first date, Mike. Probably just usual get-to-know-you stuff.”

“But we already know each other pretty well.”

“So, it should be even easier, right?”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Well, I’ll let you get back to… whatever it whatever it was you were doing.” He grinned. “Thanks for talking me off the edge.”

“Go, have fun.” Trevor shooed him out of the door. “Call me tomorrow.”

*^*

When Harvey picked Mike up at six, he was driving a vintage Ford Mustang. “Wow, nice car. Is it yours?”

“Mine for the weekend anyway.”

Mike slipped into the passenger seat. “So where are we headed?”

Harvey pulled an envelope off of the dashboard and handed it to him.

“We’re going to the Yankees game?” Mike asked incredulously. “Oh, man. That’s awesome.”

“Glad to hear you approve.” Harvey smiled.

“Wow, this is awesome.” Mike repeated. He turned the tickets over in his hand. “And they are even box seats!”

Harvey tried to remember the last time he had enjoyed anything so much as the Yankees game with Mike. They drank ridiculously over-priced beer from plastic cups, ate hot dogs and nachos with gusto, debated the pros and cons of the Yankees batting order, and had a lively discussion on the infield fly rule.

The Yankees got creamed by the Devil Rays, but even the dismal score couldn’t dampen Mike’s mood.

“That was great,” he said to Harvey as they filtered out of the stadium with the rest of the crowd.

“A 14-3 loss is great?” Harvey couldn’t help smiling at Mike’s enthusiasm.

“I haven’t been to Yankee Stadium since I was a kid. I think my parents took me once when I was nine.”

As they got into the car, Harvey asked, “Are you hungry?”

“Ugh, no. I am still stuffed from the hot dogs.”

“No one made you eat four of them.”

“But they were so good. Nothing tastes as good as a hot dog at a ballgame. But,” he looked up at Harvey almost shyly. “I could go for another drink somewhere.”

Harvey smiled. “I know just the place.”

*^*

They pulled up in front of the building.

“Where are we?” Mike asked. They were surround by residential buildings.

“My place.” Harvey grinned.

Mike stopped. “Um…”

“Oh don’t worry. I won’t assault your virtue.” Much, he added silently. “Just thought it would be a good, quiet place to chat.”

Mike considered. “Okay.”

While it was true that Harvey had no intention of trying to “close” Mike tonight, he also knew the kind of impression his condo generally gave. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to show Mike the kind of lifestyle that could be his for the asking. He appeared suitably impressed, gawking at the view while Harvey poured them each a scotch.

But Mike had a sly grin on his face when Harvey handed him the drink.

“What?” Harvey asked.

“I was just wondering…” Mike gestured to the view. “Is this your way of giving me the full court press?”

“What?” Harvey asked again, somewhat stymied.

“Oh come on, Harvey. The classic sports car, the Yankees game and now this? It’s a little over the top for a first date.”

La Bernadin would have definitely been an overreach then. “You really have a script in your head for how things should go, don’t you?”

Mike shook his head. “No, it’s not that.”

“You had fun tonight, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did.”

“So why are you overthinking it? It’s a gorgeous night, you have a drink in your hand. Why worry?”

“I guess I am just not used to this.”

“Dating? Dating a man?”

“No. Being… courted.” The word seemed to stick in Mike’s throat.

Harvey laughed. “That’s a ridiculously old fashioned notion.”

“Are you denying that is what you’re doing though?”

Harvey shrugged. He met Mike’s eyes. “I want you. I’ve wanted you for a long time. Maybe since the moment I met you.” He sighed. “I was afraid. I didn’t know what I wanted.”

“What changed your mind?”

“That day in the Café. I heard the explosion and I thought something had happened to you. It was all my fault.”

Mike shook his head. “It would never have been your fault, Harvey. You tried to talk me out of going, remember?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m your Guide. I should have been there with you.”

Mike blinked. “You’re not my Guide. I mean, I don’t have a Guide.”

“I feel like I am.”

Mike stepped away and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sorry, this is just kind of sudden. I can’t… I can’t really believe that you would want this. Want me.” He met Harvey’s eyes.

Harvey stepped closer. “I’ll prove it to you, Mike. Just give me a chance.” He sipped his drink. “I’m willing to go as slow as you want.

“Okay.” Mike finished his drink and put it down on the balcony rail. “I think I better go.”

“Mike.”

“No, I had a great time tonight. I think I just need a little… distance to take it all in.”

“Do you want me to drive you home?”

Mike shook his head. “No, thanks. I’ll just grab a cab.”

Harvey nodded. “I understand. I’ll see you on Monday?”

“Of course.” Mike smiled.

Together, they walked Harvey stepped closer to him and before Mike could step away, wrapped his hand around the back of Mike’s neck. He pressed his lips to Mike’s for a brief, chaste kiss. “Thanks, Mike.”

Mike smiled. “Goodnight, Harvey.”

*^*

“Courting” Mike turned out to be even more frustrating than Harvey had expected. Sure, they had fun. Dinners out, movies, gallery openings, even a few jogs through Central Park. They saw each other plenty in the office, too. Harvey brought Mike in on several of his cases, much to Jeff’s dismay. And there were plenty of ‘working lunches.’

Harvey wanted more. It was a wrench every time Mike walked away from him, to go home, to go back to his cubicle on the twentieth floor, to go anywhere else.

His frustration was not abated by the series of increasingly frantic make-out sessions that inevitably concluded their dates. Harvey wasn’t used to being patient. Most of his conquests acceded to his wishes rather quickly. But Mike always pulled away, smiling almost demurely, whispering that he’d better go. He was softening, Harvey could tell. But Harvey was going out of his mind. He hoped Mike was not going to keep him waiting too much longer.


	16. Chapter 16

Mike’s life just kept on getting stranger. He was now officially dating his boss. Harvey had dragged him down to HR one afternoon and they filled out the firm’s consensual relationship paperwork. The whole thing had been somewhat mortifying, but the self-satisfied smile that Harvey gave him afterwards and the firm grip on his shoulder as he guided him into the elevator had gone a long way to soothing his ruffled feathers.

Despite the public declaration, they were still taking it slow. They hadn't had sex yet. They hadn’t even progressed beyond kissing and some very mild groping. Whenever Mike thought they were about to get naked and sweaty, Harvey would pull back, give him a surprisingly shy smile, and suggest another drink, or that they put in a movie or whatever. It confused Mike. Harvey didn’t seem like the ‘take it slow’ type. Mike was too unsure to try to push for more though.

He was still generally plagued with self-doubt about the whole thing. What was Harvey doing with him? Harvey was just so… Harvey. Smart, successful, rich, gorgeous. What could Harvey possibly see in someone like him? He was sure every morning he was going to come to work and find that Harvey had come to the conclusion that it was never going to work out between them. But he never did. He would come in, Harvey would smile, hand him a stack of files and sent him back down to the twentieth floor. It didn’t make sense, but Mike figured he would soak it in for as long as he could. He loved just being with Harvey, whether it was on his couch, in the office, or in the fanciest restaurant in New York.

Saturday night, they went out to dinner with Trevor and Jim. Just a dinner among friends, Mike refused to call it a double date. It was an entertaining meal. Harvey and Jim had exchanged stories about their exploits in law schools and debated where Mike should apply.

“Where did you go?” Harvey asked Jim.

“I did my undergraduate at Brown. Stanford Law,” Jim responded.

“Stanford, huh?” Harvey raised his eyebrows. “That’s a big switch.”

Jim laughed. “My senior year was the worst winter Providence had had in twenty years. Snow, ice, hail from October to May… I was desperate to get the hell out of New England. California seemed like it would be a nice change.”

“Well, no way I am going that far away,” Mike put in.

“Are you committed to staying in the city, Mike?” Jim asked, leaning forward. “It’s going to limit your options. Columbia’s a fine school, but you could easily get into any Ivy League school you want.”

Mike shrugged. “I hadn’t really thought about it. I would like to stay close to my grandmother.” He glanced at Harvey, wondering if he would make a case for Harvard.

“Still, Princeton, UPenn, Yale… they’re not that far. And Harvard and Brown are just a quick train ride away. The Acela can get you to Boston in under four hours--”

“I think Mike can figure out how the train works.” Trevor smirked wrapping his arm around Jim’s shoulders.

“I am just saying, with your scores you could get in anywhere,” Jim told him. “You need to pick the school that’s best going to suit your needs. Don’t limit yourself.”

Mike shrugged. “I guess so.” He looked over at Harvey, who was being strangely silent and contemplating the bottom of his glass. The waitress arrived with their food, and the conversation moved on.

After dinner, they headed over to O’Grady’s. Mike’s favorite local bar was a typical New York City pub, dark wood, lots of tables, and multiple TVs mounted over bar. They grabbed a booth in the back and the conversation flowed easily, moving from local politics to national sports. Harvey went to get the next round of drinks, and Trevor got roped into a darts game with a few of his former co-workers, leaving Jim and Mike alone.

“So,” Jim said, nodding towards Harvey. “Everything seems to be going well between you two.”

Mike sighed. “Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun, so far.”

“What do you mean, ‘so far’?” Jim asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. He takes me all these fancy places, and we have fun, we really do, but it’s not like I am ever going to be able to take care of him.”

“Why would you feel like you had to take care of him?”

“Come on. I’m a Sentinel. He’s a Guide. We’re supposed to protect and keep our Guides. Like you do with Trevor.”

Jim shot a fond glance over at his partner, who was whooping about some shot he’d just made. “I take care of Trevor, and he takes care of me. Mike, any relationship isn’t always going to be fifty-fifty. Sure, I pulled Trevor out of a bad situation when we met. But you seem to be overlooking all the things he does for me; cooking my dinners, making sure I get enough sleep, sometimes just being there is enough. Before I met him, I was so focused on my career, on closing cases and getting promoted that I was losing myself. I don’t even want to think about how empty my life would be if he hadn’t come along.”

Mike sighed. “Yeah, but Harvey already has everything he could possibly want. What could I add to his life?”

“I don’t think he does.” Jim smiled. “Maybe you should ask him what he thinks about that.”

Harvey came back with the drinks, and Trevor sat back down, flushed with victory.

“So, I was thinking,” Trevor announced, “You guys should definitely come to Newport with us one weekend this summer.”

“Uh.” Mike glanced at Harvey. He didn’t think they were really at the stage of vacationing together quite yet.

“No, no it will be great,” Trevor was going on. “It would be great to have someone to hang out with. Jim always abandons me and goes to play tennis with his sister for hours.”

Jim laughed. “Oh come on, you love going shopping with my mother. She spoils him rotten,” he explained to Harvey and Mike.

“She does,” Trevor admitted with a grin. “But, no, you guys should come. We’d have a blast.”

“I think that could probably be arranged,” Harvey said to Mike’s shock. He took a deep drink of his beer. “I haven’t been to Newport since law school.”

After two more rounds, they called it a night. Harvey was quiet as they headed out the doors together.

“Did you have fun?” Mike asked.

Harvey glanced behind them. “Your friends are nice people.”

“Yeah, they’re great.”

They walked together down the quiet street together.

“So, law school. Have you started looking yet?” Harvey asked. “Did you take the tour at Columbia?”

Mike shook his head. “It’s not like I have to decide soon.”

“You should get a plan in place as soon as possible. Once you have a life and routine established, it’s going to be harder to walk away from.”

Mike tried to imagine walking away from Harvey. “I kind of like my life right now.”

Harvey stepped closer to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “That doesn’t mean it can’t get better.”

Mike couldn’t meet his eyes. “So where do you think I should go?”

“I don’t know. I would say you should got to Harvard. Pearson Hardman would hire you in a second once you graduate, but…” Harvey shrugged. “I don’t like the idea of you being so far away for that long.”

“It’s not that far.” Mike smiled. “Just a train ride, remember?”

They had reached Harvey’s building. “Feel like a nightcap?”

He had way too much to drink at both the restaurant and the bar, but Mike didn’t want to go home. “Coffee?” he asked.

“I suppose I can do that.”

Mike was settled on the couch, coffee cooling on the side table. Harvey sat beside him. Mike leaned into him and Harvey slipped his arm around his shoulder. Mike sighed. Just being here with Harvey felt so right, so natural. Part of him wanted to slip into sleep right there.

“So how much longer are we going to do this, Mike?”

Mike jerked upright. Well, it figures that this would end now. “I guess I’ve been waiting for you.”

Harvey blinked. “Waiting for me?”

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering when you were going to call the whole thing off.”

“Call it off?” Harvey sat forward and turned to stare at him. “Mike, what are you talking about?”

“This! Whatever’s been going on between us? I’ve been waiting for you to figure out its not working.”

Harvey looked stricken. “What do you mean, ‘it’s not working’? We’ve been getting along fine. Haven’t you been having fun?”

Something in Mike’s chest tightened painfully. “Sure, I’ve been having fun but… It’s just… If you’re so interested, how come we haven’t had sex yet?”

Harvey blanched at that, and got up from the couch and walked across the room. He poured himself a finger of scotch. “Listen,” he said, “there’s something I need to tell you.”

Mike sat forward attentively.

“When I pulled you out of the zone, the first time, in the car…” He paused.

“Yes,” Mike prompted.

Harvey sighed. “It’s hard to explain, but when we were connected, I could feel our thoughts knitting together. We were about to bond. I could feel it.”

Mike sat back, stunned. “You think that’s even possible? That we could have bonded while I was unconscious?”

“I can only tell you what it felt like. It freaked me out, and I spent the next few weeks pushing you away. But Mike, you were always there, in my thoughts. And now, when we are together, like that, I can still feel it. It doesn’t seem like it would be hard to tip over that edge again.”

Mike considered. “So, that’s why we haven’t gone any further?”

“If I can feel it when we are just kissing, who knows what would happen if we took the next step. And while I’m all for it, I don’t want you to take that step blindly.”

“You’d be all for it? You want to bond with me?”

“Of course. I’ve told you. I’m all in on this. I know you need time, and I’m trying to be patient, I really am.”

Mike got up and walked across the room. “I just… I don’t know.”

“What’s holding you back?”

Mike threw out an arm in an expansive gesture. “You have everything you could possibly need. I just don’t know what I have to offer.”

“Mike, where did you get the idea that you need to offer anything? I am a Guide. I am supposed to take care of you.” He stepped forward. “I want to take care of you.”

“I’m supposed to take care of you.”

Harvey smiled. “Maybe we’re supposed to take care of each other.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Drink your coffee, Mike,” Harvey said softly.

Mike picked up his cup and gulped down the liquid. “Do you want me to go?”

“I never want you to go. Spend the night here,” he whispered. “You can sleep in the guest room. Tomorrow, if you want, we can go over to the Botanical Garden and you can practice your sensing.”

Mike nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”


	17. Chapter 17

“And then you just need to both sign here, and the notary will stamp it, and then you’re done.” Mike handed the documents to the woman sitting across from him.

“Thanks, Mike. I really appreciate all your help with this.” Persephone Miller smiled at him, her green eyes twinkling. “I really had no idea what the heck they were talking about at the Tower. I thought an Advanced Directive was something out of Star Trek.”

Mike laughed. “It’s ‘Prime Directive’ from Star Trek.”

Persephone rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Lee was appalled I had forgotten.”

“Harvey’s a Trekker too. He keeps threatening to make me watch the entire original series.”

“Been there, done that.” She tucked the file into her bag. “Thank Harvey for me too. It must be nice, having a bondmate who’s a lawyer too. At least he can understand you when you talk about work.”

“Oh.” Mike blushed. “Harvey’s not my bondmate. I mean… we’re kind of dating, but we’re not bonded… Yet.”

She leaned forward. “Oh, no? Why not?”

“Um, well, we’re just… you know, taking it slow.”

Persephone’s eyes narrowed shrewdly. “It’s some dumb Sentinel thing, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Oh, it totally is.” She sighed. “Can I tell you a story? I guess I can, considering you’ve already seen me naked and sweaty. That has to buy me some kind of indulgence, right?”

Mike’s cheeks flamed. “No, I mean, we only watched a little… Just for identification purposes. Anyway, sure – tell me your story.”

She dismissed his embarrassment with a wave of her hand. “Whatever, anyway I first moved to New York from Wisconsin about five years ago. I was going to be an actress on the on The Great White Way.” She laughed. “I ended up living in a sixth floor walk-up in Astoria with three other girls, working two jobs just to make my rent.”

“Anyway, the night I met Lee, I had my last twenty dollars in my pocket. Lee’s coworkers had dragged him out for someone’s birthday, and he was sitting alone at this table, drinking diet cokes. One of his friends bet me a drink that I couldn’t get him to dance with me… And well, things didn’t go exactly as planned after that.”

“I bet.” Mike could imagine.

“So anyway, after a few day pass and we leave the Tower, he takes me back to his apartment in Park Slope. So while I’m marveling at the idea of only sharing a bathroom with one other person and actually having an A/C that works, Lee proceeds to have a complete and total freak-out on me.”

“Really?” Mike was slightly distracted by the fourth person to slowly walk by the glass front conference room that they were in. Everyone was wondering what he was doing with the hot blonde.

“Yeah, so much for all the residual bonding oxytocin or whatever. ‘This was never going to work. We were too different…’ blah blah blah. And this was after we’d just spent three days having the most intense sex I could imagine. It finally cumulated with him that declaring he doesn’t even like the theater.”

Mike turned his attention back to her, amazed. He couldn’t imagine anyone pushing away such a friendly and beautiful woman. “Yikes. So what did you do?”

“What could I do? I burst into tears. Outright sobbing about how it was clear I wasn’t good enough for him, and how he must be ashamed of me. And he started sputtering that it wasn’t that at all, and it was him that was never going to be able to make me happy. Anyway, we both ended up on the floor with our arms around each other.”

“So what happened?”

She shrugged. “It worked out. It wasn’t easy at first, trying to fit our lives together. But we discovered we couldn’t be happy when we were apart. We still have arguments and everything, but for the most part—I can’t imagine my life without him. Can you imagine your life without Harvey?”

“No, not anymore.”

She smiled. “See? That’s what I am trying to say. You don’t need to justify why things are going to work out, or how they are going to work out, or any of that BS you Sentinels have drummed into your heads. ‘Keeping and protecting your Guides.’ Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “How about just trying to make them happy and being happy yourself? That’s all you guys need to do.”

“I guess.” Mike was still trying to imagine his life without Harvey in it. Everything just seemed so… blank.

“Just think about it.” Persephone stood. “Sorry for the lecture. I really do appreciate all the help with the paperwork.”

“No problem, like I said.” Mike walked her to the elevator. “And thanks for the … other advice. I’ll think about it.”

“You do that.” She kissed him on the cheek.

Mike pondered her words as he headed back to his desk. He did want to make Harvey happy. And he was always happiest when he was with Harvey. Could it really be that simple?

^*^

Thursday afternoon, Mike and Harvey were working in his office, trying to sort out the financials for Sterling Corp. It was a privately held company whose CFO had recently gone off the deep end, convinced that the FBI and “Men in Black,” were coming after him. He had begun surreptitiously spreading the company assets around in a rather haphazard manner, hiding them from the invading aliens or whatever. The guy was on new meds and reportedly doing well, but he had left the finances a mess. Harvey had been working this for over a week, and had finally requisitioned Mike to help him out. It took another day, but they finally seemed to have put the pieces back together.

Mike ran through the numbers in his head one last time, nodded to himself and said aloud, “Well, I think that’s everything.”

Harvey looked up. “You have it all accounted for?”

“Every dime.” Mike handed him over the spreadsheet he had been marking up.

Harvey took it and scanned it. “Amazing.” He gave Mike one of those smiles that never failed to make his stomach flutter. “Well, Mr. Sterling will be pleased.”

“Glad to help.” Mike knew he should leave, head by to his desk downstairs. He stayed on the couch, staring at Harvey as he flipped through a file. He felt something click inside himself. He was ready.

“So what are your plans for the weekend?” Mike asked.

Harvey shook his head. “I plan to spend it not thinking about numbers or hidden assets or escrow accounts.” He looked up. “You?”

“I was hoping to spend it with you.”

Harvey gave him another smile. “I think that could be arranged.” He turned back to his paperwork.

Mike took a deep breath. “Harvey…”

Harvey made a non-committal noise, still jotting down notes on his blotter.

“Harvey, I think I’m ready.”

“Ready for what?” Harvey asked, not looking up.

“Ready for us. Ready to be you and me.” He took a deep breath. “I’m ready to take the next step.”

Harvey’s head shot up. “Do you mean that, Mike?” He got up and crossed to where Mike was sitting. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“You want to bond with me?” Harvey sank down on the couch next to him.

“Yes. I mean, if you still want to--”

Harvey cut off anything else Mike had to say with a kiss. Their lips crashed together, tongues tangling. They were clinging to each other like they were drowning.

“Oh god, Mike.” Harvey tore his lips away from Mike’s and pressed his face into Mike’s neck. “I want you so much.”

“I want you too,” Mike murmured back.

They kissed again, a slow, easy kiss that seemed to last for ages--

“Ahem.”

They both looked up and found Jessica Pearson standing at the office door. The arch of her eyebrow indicted her extreme disappointment at this unprofessional behavior, and at the same time, the quirk of his lips betrayed a total lack of surprise.

Mike’s face flushed.

“Harvey--” Jessica began.

Harvey was unflustered. He stood up, straightened his blazer, and cleared his throat. “Jessica, I am going to need some time off next week.”

Her lips curved and then straightened, as if she was fighting a smile. “I see. I hope you’ll be able to clear your schedule.”

“Already clear!” Donna’s voice piped over the intercom. She turned and gave them a thumbs up. “You also have an appointment at the Tower tomorrow morning.”

“How did she do that?” Mike muttered, hiding his face in his hands. “How could she know? I didn’t know”-

“I don’t even ask anymore.”

“Okay, boys.” Jessica smiled. “Get out of here before you open us up to some kind of hostile workplace suit.”

Harvey took Mike’s hand and tugged him out of the office. “Go get your bag,” he whispered. “I’ll be waiting in the lobby.”

As they walked out of the building, Harvey wrapped an arm around Mike’s shoulder and guided him into the waiting town car.

“So we go in tomorrow?” Mike asked. “What are we supposed to do until then?”

“Dinner,” Harvey answered.

The servers at the restaurant gave them some odd looks. Neither of them could stop smiling, and they could barely drag their eyes from each other to look at the menu. After they had finally ordered and gotten their drinks, Harvey leaned back in his chair.

“Are you sure you even want to go the Tower?” Harvey asked. “I mean, after the whole recording thing...” He grimaced. “We could just hole up in my condo.”

Mike sighed. “It’s tempting. But I keep thinking about what those Tower reps said about primal zones.” He looked down. “I don’t think I’d be able to forgive myself if I hurt you.”

“Whatever you want, Mike.”

Mike took a sip of his wine. “So, after dinner, what should we do for the rest of the night?”

Harvey grinned at him. “Up to you.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Here be the sex. I hope you all enjoy!

The next morning, Mike woke with a smile on his face. They were both stretched out on Harvey’s bed, above the covers. They had fallen asleep in front of the TV and had stumbled in here at around three in the morning.

He got up quietly and slipped into Harvey’s wonderful shower. When he came out of the en suite, the bed was empty. He found Harvey in the kitchen, wrapped in a robe, waiting for the coffee to brew.

Harvey looked up at him. “Hey,” he said. “Still ready for this today?” The corner of his lips twerked, like he was trying to smile, but Mike could hear the slight uncertainty in his voice.

He stepped close and kissed Harvey firmly on the mouth. “Yes, I am,” he said firmly. “Are you?”

Harvey gave him a smile so brilliant it made Mike’s heart shudder. “You bet your ass I am.”

Mike grinned. “Are you sure? Because we could just go into the office. I am sure I could find some briefs to proof. You could—Hey!” he protested as Harvey groped him shamelessly.

“Smartass,” Harvey growled. “You know Donna would kill us if we showed up today. And I’m sure Jessica would be right there behind her.”

“Probably.” Mike wrapped his arms around Harvey’s neck. “But you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

“Good. Now go get in the shower. I don’t want us to be late.”

*^*

They took a cab to the Tower. Once they were there, they were brought to separate rooms and given paperwork to fill out. Harvey flipped through the pages, looking over the questions. He smirked as he reached one that asked where he and his Sentinel had met. He smirked as he wrote in the date and that it took place at a Tower mixer. No doubt it would be counted as another “success story” in the Tower literature.

As he was filling out the last of the forms, a woman sat down opposite him. “Good morning, Mr. Specter,” she said politely. “I understand you are interested in bonding today?”

Harvey snorted. She made it sound like he was interested in buying a new toaster or something. “Yes, I am.”

She smiled at him. “I apologize for the obvious questions, but this is a matter of policy. And your partner is…” She flipped a page of her file. “Mike Ross?” She sounded surprised.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“No, not at all.” Her smile widened. “I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Ross about a month ago.”

“Oh, you were the representative he was working with on the, uh… the DVD?”

“Yes, that was me. I’m glad the whole experience didn’t put him off coming here.” She looked up at him. “We have completely re-vamped the system. There’s no chance of any recording now.”

Harvey sat back in his chair. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Now I just have a few simple questions to ask you. Please bear with me, but we do need to go over these. You have read the materials and fully understand everything that bonding entails?”

Harvey nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“And you are committed to Michael Ross? You understand the duties that will be required of you to be his Guide.”

“Yes, I understand. And I am ready to do and be whatever Mike needs.”

“Well.” She straightened the papers and put them back in the file. “Everything seems to be in order.”

“Good, can I see Mike now?”

“I can take you to the suite. Mr. Ross will be brought to you as soon as they complete his interview. It’s a slightly more involved process for a Sentinel.”

“How so?” Harvey asked.

“Oh, they just run them through some sensing exercises. It is supposed to help facilitate the bonding process.”

“Can I give you some advice?” she asked softly.

Harvey hesitated. He was normally loathe to take advice, but in this case, he figured it wouldn’t hurt. “I wouldn’t be adverse.”

She gave him another smile. “When you get to the suite, don’t rush right in to the process. So many couples throw themselves into bed as soon as they get into the room. It can lead to unnecessary tension and stress.” She shook her head. “There’s no time limit on the process, so please be relaxed about it. Have some wine, maybe a light meal, talk and then… just let things evolve naturally.”

Harvey nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

“Best wishes to you and your partner, Mr. Specter.”

*^*

After filling out about two reams of paperwork, and reassuring several people that he really did want to be there, Mike went through some relaxation exercises with one of the Tower Guides. After all that, he was finally brought to one of the bonding suites.

Harvey was already there, standing in the kitchenette. Mike walked into the room, suddenly feeling unaccountably shy. He searched for something to say, when Harvey came towards him.

“Mike,” Harvey whispered just before their lips met. It was a long sweet kiss, and Mike whimpered when Harvey finally pulled back.

Harvey had opened a bottle of wine, and he poured them both a glass. “I’ve been told we should just relax for a little while.”

Mike took the wine, but… “It’s eleven o’clock in the morning.”

Harvey shrugged, and gave him a smile. “It’s a special occasion.”

“Guess so.” Mike took a sip. “This is really nice.”

Harvey turned the bottle so the label faced him. “One of the best vintages in California. The Tower truly does spare no expense.”

Harvey had also pulled out a pre-made fruit and cheese plate, so they sat at the breakfast bar side by side, drinking their wine and snacking on strawberries, grapes and cheese.

“How was the interview?” Mike asked.

Harvey rolled his eyes. “Tedious. I did meet a friend of yours, though.”

“A friend?”

“She was a Tower Guide. Had a purple streak in her hair.”

“Oh, Lyra.” Mike popped a grape into his mouth. “Yeah, she was the one who helped ID the couples.”

“She suggested that we should relax a little while, not to rush into everything.” Harvey took a sip of his wine.

“Probably a good idea.”

“Here, let move to the couch.” They brought the wine over to the couch.

Mike sat back against the cushions. Harvey wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. They came together naturally, gentle kisses that slowly became heated.

“I can’t even believe we’re here.” Mike inhaled the scent of Harvey’s neck. “This is some kind of dream, or a zone hallucination, and I’m going to wake up.”

“You’re going to wake up with me,” Harvey said. “We’re going to wake up together. Come on.”

They stumbled towards the bed, trying to pull each other’s clothes off. There was no coordination this first time, no gentle caresses or pretty phrases. It was a hard, friction filled coming together that left them both sticky and chafed.

Mike rested his head on Harvey’s shoulder.

Harvey stroked a hand through his hair. “No points for style, but I give it a ten in stress relief.”

Mike chuckled into his skin. “Give me a half hour, I’ll show you style.”

*^*

Harvey woke in Mike’s arms a few hours later. Mike was trembling softly, squeezing Harvey tight, pressing his nose to Harvey’s hairline.

“Mike, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing.”

“Why are you shaking?”

“I think it’s… just something that happens before bonding, I think.” Mike twitched. “After sexual contact. They mentioned it in my interview.”

Mike’s movements were jerky, frantic. His eyes were dilated, almost completely black. Harvey tried to sooth him, began to rub his back, but Mike pulled back.

“No.” He shook his head. “Don’t distract me.” He pressed Harvey’s hands to either side of his body on the mattress. “Stay still.”

Harvey complied. Mike immediately returned his attention to the top of his head. Harvey made himself relax. This was the imprinting process. He would be still and let Mike absorb everything about him, his scent, his taste, the feel of his skin.

Mike spent several minutes just smelling Harvey’s hair before he dragged his lips down the side of his temple. He seemed quite taken with the moles on the side of Harvey’s face. He traced his eyebrows with his fingers and then with his tongue.

He moved down Harvey’s face onto his neck. He spent a long time smelling Harvey’s neck. Harvey felt impatient and arched up into Mike. Mike growled and bit him in response, his teeth catching the delicate skin at the base of his throat.

Harvey stilled.

Mike slowly continued. His tongue lapped over Harvey’s collarbone. His hand were on his pectoral muscles, and his fingers gently pinched his nipples into hardness, before soothing them with his tongue. He explored the ridges of Harvey’s abs, tracing them with his fingers and tongue, pressing his face into Harvey’s stomach.

Harvey was ready for Mike to move lower, to his erection which was now throbbing. But Mike seemed to be in no rush to relieve Harvey’s suffering. He skipped his cock entirely. Instead he traced the crease of Harvey’s thigh with his tongue, and then moved down his left leg.

Harvey huffed, exasperated. He suddenly wished they had showered before this, though, since Mike was very interested in the spaces between his toes, and the bottom of his foot.

He then moved to the other leg and worked his way back up.

“Fuck, Mike,” Harvey groaned, as Mike turned his focus onto Harvey testicles. He cupped them with his hand, as if weighing them before pressed his nose to them and inhaling deeply. Harvey spread his legs wider and dug his heels into the mattress.

Finally, finally Mike turned to his long neglected cock. Tiny, kitten-like licks up the long shaft to the delicate skin around the head. Mike wrapped his lips around him and sank down, taking Harvey deep into his throat. After what seemed like hours of foreplay, Harvey didn’t last long in the face of this onslaught.

He was still gasping when Mike pulled up and nudged him. “Roll over.”

It took Harvey a while to summon his muscles to comply. He gingerly turned onto his front. Mike began again at the top of Harvey’s head. He dozed off as Mike moved down the broad expanse of his back and down his legs.

He jerked back into consciousness as Mike gently parted his ass. “Mike,” he gasped. He had never even considered this, of all the intimate and taboo things he had imagined…

The first stroke of Mike’s tongue was a revelation. “Oh fuck,” he moaned. Mike licked and licked dragging his tongue back and forth over the tight ring of muscle before pushing the tip inside.

Mike took a firm grip on Harvey’s hips and pulled him to his knees. Harvey arched his back, shameless. Any hesitation he might have had about this particular act had vanished. His Sentinel was claiming him and he couldn’t be more thrilled. He was Mike’s and Mike was his.

Then there were slippery fingers pressing at his entrance. When and where had Mike gotten the lube? The thought flew away at the feel of Mike’s fingers inside him, probing and stretching him. Harvey rocked back against the fingers. Finally, the fingers were removed and he felt the hot press of Mike’s cock at his entrance.

Harvey groaned as the head slipped past the tight ring of muscle. His toes curled into the sheets. Mike was substantially endowed and Harvey’s body protested the intrusion. Mike was being as careful as he could, Harvey could tell, making slow, gentle half-thrusts until finally he was seated fully inside. Harvey dragged in a couple of deep breaths, trying to force himself to relax. Mike stroked his hands down Harvey’s back, and began to gently rock against him.

Slowly, they moved together, Mike’s pace gradually increasing, until his grip was back and firm on Harvey’s hips, moving him forcefully, driving into him. Mike adjusted his angle and suddenly, Harvey saw stars in front of his eyes. All gentleness between them disappeared, and Mike began to take, to claim.

Harvey was barely containing his groans. This was unlike any other experience he had had. Mike was completely dominating him, each thrust driving him forward. It might be the roughest sex he had ever had. He was rock hard again, but he couldn’t balance his weight to get a hand on his cock.

Mike slammed into him again and he came, untouched. Harvey collapsed onto his elbows. Mike continued to pound into him from behind, his hands moving from Harvey’s hips, to the small of his back, occasionally taking a firm grip on his shoulder to help drive himself deeper.

Harvey was becoming oversensitive, with Mike’s relentless assault on his prostate. His body started shaking. Finally Mike drove into him and stilled. Harvey felt Mike come inside him in hot spurts before collapsing on top of him. Harvey moaned into the sheets but couldn’t even summon the energy to lift his head.

After a few minutes, Mike pulled out of him and rolled off. He stumbled into the bathroom and returned a moment later with a warm facecloth. He wiped them up and rolled Harvey out of the wet spot. Then he settled into Harvey’s side and was asleep in seconds.

Harvey couldn’t settle. He was feeling slightly… overwrought. The most intense sexual experience of his life. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He felt like he had been stripped open.

“Hey.”

Harvey looked over and found Mike watching him. His eyes were wide with concern.

“You okay?” Mike asked.

Harvey nodded.

Mike wrapped his arms around him. “Regrets?”

Harvey shook his head. “Never.” His voice was rough. “No, it’s just… that was… intense.”

“Yeah, I can understand now. Why everyone was so upset about that getting put on the internet.”

They exchanged a few sleepy kisses before Mike pulled back again. “Harvey,” he whispered.

“Yeah.”

“You’re my Guide.”

Harvey opened his eyes to find Mike’s had filled with tears. Harvey pulled him closer to him. “I am. Now and forever.”

Mike rested his head on Harvey’s shoulder. “Sleep?” Mike suggested. “Then you can do me.”

Harvey grinned. “I can get behind that idea.”

Mike groaned. “Bad pun, Harvey.”

“It wasn’t a pun.” He stroked his fingers through Mike’s hair. “Go to sleep, Mike.”

Mike only murmured wordlessly in response. He drifted off to sleep in Harvey’s arms. Harvey stayed awake a few minutes longer, studying his Sentinel’s sleeping face, thinking about his life before Mike had come bursting into it. He could never have imagined that this would be his reality less than a year later. He drifted to sleep with a smile on his face. Wrapped in each other’s arms, they slept as Sentinel and Guide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I may have a brief epilogue for this at some point, and I have an idea for a sequel, so who knows?
> 
> Thank you again for all of your comments and kudos. Happy Fourth of July, everyone!


End file.
